Bankruptcy Court Likely to Pare Back Probe into Ex-Judge Romance

Questioning has been postponed of a former bankruptcy judge tied up in an ethics debacle over his once-secret relationship with a local attorney so a court can decide whether any of the queries violate judiciary policy.

The questioning is part of efforts by the US Trustee’s office, which serves as the Justice Department’s bankruptcy monitor, to claw back more than $13 million in fees that David R. Jones approved for Texas law firm Jackson Walker without disclosing that he was in a longstanding relationship with a partner at the firm. Chief Judge Eduardo V. Rodriguez of the Houston bankruptcy court ...