New bankruptcy judge to take oath next week

ABERDEEN — A new bankruptcy judge for northern Mississippi will be sworn in Jan. 18.

Jason Woodard, a 37-year-old lawyer from Birmingham, Ala., will be sworn in to replace David Houston III, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports. Houston had been the only federal bankruptcy judge in the Northern District since the bankruptcy court was formed in the 1980s.

Woodard, who works for the Burr & Forman firm in Birmingham, was chosen in May for the post by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He will serve a 14-year term.

Houston is retiring and Woodard attended recently when Houston unveiled his official portrait at the federal courthouse in Aberdeen.

Woodard says he and his family will live in Columbus.

Woodard received undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama.

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal