Detroit’s historic bankruptcy case has been assigned to Judge Steven W. Rhodes–a man who’s respected by colleagues and known for his no-nonsense style in the courtroom, the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog reported on Friday. Judge Rhodes was tapped to handle the massive Chapter 9 case by Judge Alice M. Batchelder, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In court papers, she said she chose Judge Rhodes after “having reviewed the levels of experience and the respective caseloads of the judges” within the Eastern District. During the recession, Judge Rhodes handled the bankruptcy case of Detroit’s Greektown Casino-Hotel. He also presided over auto supplier Collins & Aikman Corp.’s chapter 11 restructuring. Judge Rhodes co-authored a book on Ponzi schemes and plays rhythm guitar in the Indubitable Equivalents, the self-described “classic rock house band” of industry trade group the American Bankruptcy Institute.
