YOUNGSTOWN Deadline passes to apply for bankruptcy judgeship

Thirty-two people applied for the federal judicial seat.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The job pays well -- $142,324 annually. It's not a lifetime appointment, but a term on the job lasts 14 years. And the title carries a great deal of prestige -- judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Ohio.
The lure of being a federal judge attracted 32 people who applied by Friday's deadline for the bankruptcy court job, based in Youngstown.
The names of those who submitted applications will not be released by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which will appoint the judge. But when three finalists are selected, those names are publicly disclosed.
The person selected for the position, which could take up to a year to fill, will replace Judge William T. Bodoh, who has presided over the court since 1985. Judge Bodoh, 64, is retiring Jan. 2. Between then and the time his replacement is named, bankruptcy judges from other courts in the state's Northern District will handle the caseload in the Youngstown court.
Evaluation process
The applications turned in by Friday will be forwarded to a merit selection panel, consisting of three to seven attorneys from the Northern District appointed by Chief Judge Boyce Martin of the court of appeals. The committee will screen the applications, conduct interviews and do background checks.
The panel has 90 days to file a report with the circuit's judicial counsel with the names of five to 10 candidates recommended for the job.
The judicial council's executive committee will review the report and reduce the number of finalists to three. The names of those three finalists will go to the full judicial council, and after getting its approval, the three names are then turned over to the judges on the court of appeals.
The full court makes the final selection, pending a background check by the FBI and the IRS.
The person who will replace Judge Bodoh doesn't have to live in the Mahoning Valley. The person only has to reside in the Northern District of Ohio, which includes 40 counties in the state's upper half.
skolnick@vindy.com