Local News in Brief : Eight Judges Nominated

Eight new judges have been nominated to the federal bankruptcy court in Los Angeles in a move to ease congestion in the nation’s busiest bankruptcy system.

The eight nominees, who will not be formally appointed until federal agents complete background checks during the next few months, were selected by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals from 134 applicants.

The judges, appointed to 14-year terms with an annual salary of $72,500, were selected to fill one vacancy and seven new judgeships created to help ease the workload in the central district court, which handles 10% of all bankruptcy cases in the nation.

The nominees are: Alan Ahart, 38, of Sherman Oaks, an attorney in private practice in the San Fernando Valley; Mitchell Goldberg, 44, managing attorney of a law firm in Santa Ana; Arthur Greenwald, 57, assistant chief of the tax division of the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles; Kathleen Lax, 41, an attorney with the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles.

Also, Kathleen March, 38, a litigation partner at Demetriou, Del Guercio & Lovejoy in Los Angeles; Robin Riblet, 38, a lawyer with the firm of Stutman, Treister & Glatt in Los Angeles; Lynne Riddle, 49, a sole practitioner in Santa Ana, and Vincent Zurzolo, 32, an associate with the firm of Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger in Los Angeles.