New Collection in the Archives: Judge Randall J. Newsome Papers
October 31, 2012
Written by Hoang Tran, Special Collections and Archives Intern
The Honorable Judge Randall J. Newsome served as a settlement and bankruptcy judge for nearly three decades. During his time in the United States Bankruptcy Court he sat in the Southern District of Ohio and the Northern District of California (where he was Chief Bankruptcy Judge from 2004-2010).
In 1983, with less than one year’s experience on the bench (and as one of the youngest bankruptcy judges in the country, at only 33 years old), Judge Newsome was assigned the Baldwin-United Corp case–then the largest Chapter 11 case in U.S. history. The following decade, he would go on to become actively involved with the legislative battles over the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA). After nearly three decades of experience, Judge Newsome has become one of the most qualified and experienced bankruptcy judges in American.
The Randall J. Newsome Papers, 1969-2010, primarily covers Judge Newsome’s activities as a Bankruptcy Judge from 1982-2001. The collection offers a unique and provocative perspective on Judge Newsome’s involvement in high profile bankruptcy cases and his legislative battles over bankruptcy reform. For example, between 2001 and 2003 Judge Newsome presided over a number of high-profile Chapter 11 mega cases as a visiting judge in the District of Delaware. The Papers include material from this time 2001, when Delaware withdrew the automatic reference order (automatically referring cases to bankruptcy court). Other materials found in this collection may be useful for those interested in understanding how bankruptcy judges were involved in bankruptcy reform.
The collection includes correspondence, case study files, news clippings, photographs, publications, oral histories, and related materials. The collection is now open to the research community, along with an accompanying finding aid.
If you are interested in learning more about this collection, please contact biddlearchives@law.upenn.edu or stop by the Archives.
