U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California is a United States bankruptcy court, the unit of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California that hears bankruptcy cases. Its judges are appointed by the Ninth Circuit to renewable 14-year terms, rather than nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. This page lists every bankruptcy judge to serve on the court, current and former, with when they were appointed and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Since |
|---|---|
| William J. Altenberger | – |
| Barry Russell | 1971 |
| Geraldine Mund | 1984 |
| Alan Ahart | 1988 |
| Robin Riblet | 1988 |
| Vincent Zurzolo | 1988 |
| Ernest M. Robles | 1993 |
| Thomas B. Donovan | 1994 |
| Erithe A. Smith | 1994 |
| Sheri Bluebond | 2001 |
| Peter H. Carroll | 2002 |
| Maureen A. Tighe | 2003 |
| Theodor Albert | 2005 |
| Victoria S. Kaufman | 2006 |
| Robert N. Kwan | 2007 |
| Catherine E. Bauer | 2010 |
| Philip H. Brandt | 2010 |
| Deborah J. Saltzman | 2010 |
| Neil W. Bason | 2011 |
| Julia W. Brand | 2011 |
| Scott C. Clarkson | 2011 |
| Wayne E. Johnson | 2011 |
| Sandra R. Klein | 2011 |
| Mark S. Wallace | 2011 |
| Mark D. Houle | 2012 |
| Scott H. Yun | 2014 |
| Martin R. Barash | 2015 |
| Judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Richard M Neiter | 2006–2016 |
| Meredith A Jury | 1997–2018 |
| Kathleen Thompson | 1988–2011 |
How a bankruptcy judge gets here. Bankruptcy judges are appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to renewable 14-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. Each one is a judicial officer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Open any judge to see when they were appointed and the court they serve.
Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project. Data last verified 2026-06-29. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).