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BRIEF: U.S. District Judge Ed Prado of San Antonio was scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday for a confirmation hearing where he was to be introduced by Senators John Cornyn and Kay Baily Hutchinson on his nomination to serve on the nation's 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Prado, a Republican, should face little opposition in the process, unlike nominee Miguel Estrada who saw his nomination placed on hold after a Senate filibuster on March 6. Numerous Latino organizations and labor groups joined forces to help postpone the Estrada nomination. One group, MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) continues to oppose the nominations of two other judicial candidates, Judge Charles S. Pickering Sr. and Priscilla Owen. Both were nominated to the 5th Circuit but MALDEF believes Pickering is unqualified because of his past ties supporting Mississippi's segregationist way of life and Owen [is unqualified] because of her hostility to workers who bring discrimination claims. If confirmed, both will serve with Judge Prado on the 5th Circuit which is responsible for hearing federal cases from Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana ... states whose combined Latino and African-American populations is 41 percent. Senator Cornyn expressed no opinion on the Pickering nomination, but said that he, "Looked forward to the day that Judge Prado and Justice Priscilla Owens are seated together on the 5th Circuit." Robert Cardenas, KPFT News, Houston. E-mail Robert Cardenas at robertc@amerion.com . This story was broadcast on March 26, 2003.