Federal judge in LA files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy

Judge Otis Wright II of California’s Central District, a George W. Bush appointee who was confirmed in 2007, has filed for personal bankruptcy, "a rare thing for a federal judge," says the Wall Street Journal's law blog. Wright’s homein Rancho Palos Verdes will be put on the market for about $1.2 million to help pay off creditors.

Wright listed assets of $833,426 and liabilities of $895,292 in his Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing late last year.

Between his home and his Mini Cooper, Wright said in the filing he owed about $800,000. He and his wife, Evelyn, a self-employed social worker, had accumulated more than $70,000 in credit-card debt, including $12,740 on a Nordstrom card, according to the filing.

A lawyer for the couple, Raymond Aver, said the judge drained his retirement funds to pay off a large lump of debt before filing for bankruptcy.

“What he did was everything he could to pay his creditors,” Aver said of the judge. “But like so many others, he’s underwater.”