Former House Speaker Catherine Hanaway has been sworn in as acting federal prosecutor for the eastern half of the state. Hanaway replaces James Martin, who became the acting US Attorney in St. Louis after Ray Gruender was appointed as a judge on the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. Though Hanaway is on the job, she still must be confirmed by the Senate and serves in an interim capacity until confirmation. Hanaway says she doesn’t know when a vote on her nomination will come before the Senate and says she expects it to be delayed while the Senate considers President Bush’s nomination of Judge John Roberts, Jr. to the US Supreme Court. Hanaway, a Republican from Warson Woods, served as House Minority Leader and is given much of the credit for Republicans taking control of the Missouri House for the first time in 50 years after the 2002 elections. In 2003, Hanaway became the first woman Speaker of the House. She served as Speaker for two years before deciding to run for Secretary of State, a race she lost to Democrat Robin Carnahan last November. Hanaway received her law degree from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in 1990. She worked in private legal practice for three years before joining Senator Bond’s staff. She first won election to the Missouri House in 1998. Hanaway sponsored several pieces of legislation in the House, prominent among them is the legislation restructuring the state foster care and child welfare system.
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