Judge Jim D. Pappas is a native of Idaho. He received his undergraduate degree from Idaho State University in Pocatello in 1974 and his law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law in Moscow in 1977.  Prior to his appointment, Judge Pappas engaged in private practice in the area of commercial law, with special emphasis on banking, work-outs, secured transactions, and all aspects of bankruptcy law.  He was appointed in 1990 to serve as one of Idaho’s two United States Bankruptcy Judges, and served as Chief Judge from 1993-2004.  In 2004, he was reappointed to serve as a Bankruptcy Judge.  He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges.  In 2005, he was appointed to the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, and has served as the Chief Judge of the BAP from 2010-2013.