Panel chooses judge for bankruptcy court

The attorney from Solon plans to move to the Mahoning Valley.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The next U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge for the Youngstown area has been chosen.
Selected to replace the retired Judge William T. Bodoh is Kay Woods of Solon, 51, who used to serve as associate general counsel at the LTV Steel Co. and spent five years at the Jones Day law firm in Cleveland. Her law degree is from Ohio State University.
Richard P. McLaughlin, a Youngstown attorney on a panel that recommended five finalists to replace Judge Bodoh, confirmed the selection of Woods.
Background check
Woods is undergoing a background check by the FBI and the IRS before the appointment is official, though the checks are not expected to pose a problem, McLaughlin said. Final approval should be given in the next month or two.
Woods could not be reached to comment.
McLaughlin said he was somewhat disappointed that a Valley native wasn't selected for the position. But he said he thinks Woods will make an excellent judge, and she plans to move to the Valley once her selection is finalized.
The person selected had only to reside in the Northern District of Ohio, which includes 40 counties in the state's upper half, and cities such as Youngstown, Akron, Toledo, Cleveland and Canton.
McLaughlin, the only Mahoning Valley member of the six-person selection panel, said he pushed hard to get a local attorney selected, but he was in the minority.
Woods was at the top of the list of the five finalists forwarded earlier this year from the selection panel to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals' judicial panel, which made the final choice. Kay Lockett, the court's assistant circuit director, said the five finalists were interviewed, and Woods was chosen.
Tied for the No. 2 slot, McLaughlin said, were two Youngstown attorneys. They were David A. Detec of Manchester, Bennett, Powers and Ullman, and Timothy M. Reardon of Nadler, Nadler and Burdman.
Number of applicants
There were 32 people who applied for the position, which pays $142,324 annually and carries a 14-year term.
Judge Bodoh retired in late December after nearly 19 years as a bankruptcy court judge. Bankruptcy court judges from other courts in the Northern District are filling in until Woods' selection is finalized on the Youngstown bench.
Before Judge Bodoh's appointment in February 1985, the position was vacant for more than two years after Judge Joseph T. Molitoris retired.
skolnick@vindy.com