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December 12, 2008 – When times are tough, the vast majority of Americans are forced to tighten their belts. And in these tough economic times, it is no wonder that bankruptcies are soaring. You would think that this might mean that government officials – especially those associated with bankruptcy – would want to avoid any appearance of being indifferent to the plight of the average citizen. But you can wipe those silly thoughts away. They are indifferent and they apparently don’t care if you know it.
The Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure has scheduled a meeting. The committee, which was formed in 1922 under the Taft administration, is made up 22 judges, professors, Department of Justice officials, and attorneys. These people are supposed to propose procedural rules for the courts to follow. They then ask for public comment on the rules, make changes and eventually submit them to the Supreme Court for approval.
Their next meeting was announced in today’s Federal Register. And they appear intent on enjoying themselves. They’ve booked their meeting to take place on March 26th and 27th at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel in La Jolla, CA. For those unfamiliar with the California landscape, La Jolla would be considered “the high rent district”. Imagine it as Beverly Hills meets the Pacific Ocean.
When we checked rooms at the hotel for those dates, the rates on their website ran from $249 to $329 per night. This doesn’t include food, beverages, meeting rooms or any other amenities. And most of the committee members will require a minimum of a three night stay. That’s because not a single person on the committee is from California. In fact, most of them live and work on the East Coast.
So while you are tightening your belt, and being asked to bail out every industry under the sun, you can at least sleep well at night knowing that your tax dollars are paying for someone’s vacation. For your reference, we’ve included a list of the committee members below. Feel free to write them and wish them a happy trip. And it if you feel strongly about it and want to wish them well by phone, you can call John K. Rabiej at (202) 502-1820. He is the contact listed in the Federal Register as the Chief of the Rules Committee Support Office.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON BANKRUPTCY RULES
Chair:
Honorable Laura Taylor Swain
United States District Judge
United States District Court
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
U. S. Courthouse
500 Pearl Street - Suite 755
New York, NY 10007
Reporters:
Professor Jeffrey W. Morris
University of Dayton
School of Law
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-2772
Professor S. Elizabeth Gibson
Burton Craige Professor of Law
5073 Van Hecke-Wettach Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
C.B. #3380
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3380
Members:
Honorable R. Guy Cole, Jr.
United States Circuit Judge
United States Court of Appeals
127 Joseph P. Kinneary
United States Courthouse
85 Marconi Boulevard
Columbus, OH 43215
Honorable Irene M. Keeley
Chief Judge
United States District Court
500 West Pike Street, 2nd Floor
Clarksburg, WV 26301
Honorable Richard A. Schell
United States District Judge
United States District Court
United States Courthouse Annex
Chase Bank Building
200 North Travis Street
Sherman, TX 75090
Honorable William H. Pauley III
United States District Judge
United States District Court
2210 Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10007-1581
Honorable Eugene R. Wedoff
Chief Judge
United States Bankruptcy Court
Everett McKinley Dirksen
United States Courthouse
219 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
Honorable Elizabeth L. Perris
Chief Judge
United States Bankruptcy Court
700 Congress Center
1001 Southwest Fifth Avenue
Portland, OR 97204-1145
Honorable David H. Coar
United States District Court
1478 Everett McKinley Dirksen
United States Courthouse
219 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
Honorable Jeffery P. Hopkins
United States Bankruptcy Court
Atrium Two, Suite 800
221 East Fourth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Dean Lawrence Ponoroff
Tulane University School of Law
Weinmann Hall
6329 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA 70118-6231
J. Michael Lamberth, Esquire
Lamberth, Cifelli, Stokes & Stout, P.A.
3343 Peachtree Road, N.E., Suite 550
Atlanta, GA 30326
G. Eric Brunstad, Jr., Esquire
Bingham McCutchen LLP
One State Street
Hartford, CT 06103
John Rao, Esquire
National Consumer Law Center
77 Summer Street, 10th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
J. Christopher Kohn, Esquire
Director, Commercial Litigation Branch
Civil Division, U.S. Dept. of Justice
(ex officio)
P.O. Box 875, Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044-0875
(1100 L Street, N.W., 10th Flr, Rm 10036
Washington, DC 20005)
Advisors and Consultants:
James J. Waldron
Clerk, United States Bankruptcy Court
Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building
and United States Courthouse
Third Floor, 50 Walnut Street
Newark, NJ 07102-3550
Mark A. Redmiles, Deputy Director
Executive Office for U. S. Trustees
20 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,
Suite 8000
Washington, DC 20530
Patricia S. Ketchum, Esquire
1607 22nd Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008-1921
Liaison Member:
Honorable James A. Teilborg
United States District Judge
United States District Court
523 Sandra Day O’Connor
United States Courthouse
401 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003-2146
Liaison from Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System:
Honorable Joy Flowers Conti
United States District Court
5250 United States Post Office
and Courthouse
700 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1906
Secretary:
Peter G. McCabe
Secretary, Committee on Rules of
Practice and Procedure
Washington, DC 20544
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Politics & Politicians 
