Federal Judge Gerald Rosen will be the likely pick as mediator of the highly publicized and politicized case of Detroit’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing.   As chief district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Rosen—a judge previously involved in Republican politics—will now likely be a key player in forming the financial and political framework under which Detroit is structured.  He will also likely be involved with determining the future of the city’s unfunded pension liabilities, a decision that could set a precedent for any future filings other larger cities might make. 

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes has gone on record to state that he plans to suggest Rosen as mediator when the sides meet at a hearing scheduled for August 2^nd.  After interviewing in 1999 for a profile story with the Free Press, Rosen admitted to playing an active role in the local Republican Party, including running the campaign for presidential primary hopeful Howard Baker.  A quote from that piece showed that Rosen "is willing to make an unpopular decision if he believes it's the correct decision under the law."

Appointed by former President George H. W. Bush, Rosen’s politics have veered slightly from the socially conservative attitude shared by most of his fellow Republicans.  In 1997, he struck down the infamous “partial birth abortion” ban in Michigan and later dismissed a case that was alleged to be a mayoral scandal cover-up in Detroit.