James Garrity Coming Back to New York Bankruptcy Bench

James L. Garrity Jr. is returning to the New York bankruptcy bench after more than a 15-year hiatus, the court said Wednesday.

Mr. Garrity, who will replace the retiring judge Allan L. Gropper, comes back to the Manhattan bankruptcy court after stints at Shearman & Sterling LLP and, more recently, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

“The Court of Appeals takes great pride in the high quality of our circuit’s bankruptcy judges,” Chief Judge Robert A. Katzamann of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. “We are pleased that James L. Garrity, Jr. will be sitting again on the SDNY bankruptcy bench.”

During his first stint with the court, Mr. Garrity oversaw several closely watched cases, including those of Bank of Credit and Commerce International and retailer Jamesway Corp.

Since leaving the bench in 1999, Mr. Garrity has represented debtors and creditors in chapter 11 bankruptcies and cross-border cases, according to his bio on Morgan Lewis’s website. He most recently served as a partner in the firm’s business and finance practice and co-head of its bankruptcy restructuring group.

Mr. Garrity has also served as a mediator in bankruptcy cases in both New York and Delaware, which could come in handy in his stint as a judge; judges in New York often call on each other to mediate disputes in their cases.

The bankruptcy court said Mr. Garrity will officially take over for Mr. Gropper during a private ceremony next week. Mr. Gropper oversaw several big cases, including that of Eastman Kodak Co. He also oversaw the Tronox Inc. bankruptcy court trial with Anadarko Petroleum Corp. that led to Anadarko agreeing to pay a record $5.15 billion settlement for its ill-fated acquisition of Tronox. Judge Gropper announced his retirement soon after issuing his decision in the Anadarko matter. His initial decision is what led to the settlement talks.

Write to Joseph Checkler at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeCheckler