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From left Dwight Woodard, son Jason Woodard and court Clerk David Puddister at Jason Woodard's swearing in today in Aberdeen. (Patsy Brumfield)
Woodard, 37, succeeds David W. Houston III in the appointed post.
Houston officially retired Tuesday after decades on the bench as the region’s first bankruptcy judge.
Woodard’s appointment is for 14 years and comes from a peer selection process through the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which Mississippi is part of.
He comes to the job from 12 years as a Birmingham, Ala., bankruptcy attorney, with undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama.
The Aberdeen-based court deals with all bankruptcy cases filed within the Northern District of Mississippi.
At Houston’s portrait unveiling ceremony recently, Woodard said he and his family will reside in Columbus.
• Read Thursday’s Daily Journal for more.