Federal bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez spent 16 years presiding over a busy docket and huge reorganization cases like Enron and Chrysler, but he had one more big decision to make last year.

He wanted to retire from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, but he knew Congress would not allow his post to be filled, and that the court’s remaining judges would be faced with a slew of additional cases because of his departure.