Bankruptcy Judge Worried About Broad Ex-Judge Romance Questions

A Houston bankruptcy judge has raised concerns over the breadth of questions that a Justice Department arm seeks to ask a former court employee about an ex-bankruptcy judge tied up in an ethics debacle over his once-secret relationship with a local attorney.

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 his long-term relationship with a partner at the firm.

Chief Judge Eduardo V. Rodriguez of the Houston ...