Olathe ? A former U.S. Justice Department official plans to announce Thursday whether he will enter the 3rd Congressional District race, amid speculation he will seek the Republican nomination.

Kris Kobach, 37, worked two years for the Justice Department, starting as a White House Fellow in 2001, then as a member of Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft’s staff, advising Ashcroft on immigration issues.

He has since returned to his previous job, teaching at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s law school. He is a former Overland Park City Council member.

Kobach has scheduled a news conference for 12:30 p.m. on the south side of the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe.

Interviewed Tuesday, he declined to disclose his plans but acknowledged, “I have received a lot of encouragement to run.”

Already in the race for the GOP nomination is Adam Taff, a former U.S. Navy pilot who was the 2002 Republican nominee. He lost to incumbent Democrat Rep. Dennis Moore.

The 3rd District includes Johnson and Wyandotte counties and part of Douglas County, including the eastern half of the city of Lawrence.