The United States Bankruptcy Trustee appoints an interim trustee upon the filing of a chapter 7 case. Unless the creditors exercise their right to elect a different permanent trustee at the Section 341(a) meeting of creditors, the interim trustee automatically becomes the permanent trustee. Then the permanent trustee serves as trustee until the case is closed.

You generally can not request a different trustee—except in the rare situation in which you have a previous relationship with the trustee that the bankruptcy court would recognize as a disqualifying conflict of interest.

In New Jersey, as in other states, when a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case is filed, the United States Bankruptcy Trustee appoints an interim trustee to oversee the case. This interim trustee is tasked with managing the debtor's assets and facilitating the bankruptcy process. If the creditors do not choose to elect a different trustee during the Section 341(a) meeting of creditors, which is a mandatory meeting where creditors can question the debtor about their finances and the bankruptcy petition, the interim trustee then becomes the permanent trustee for the duration of the bankruptcy case. It is not common for debtors to request a change of trustee, and such requests are typically only granted in exceptional circumstances where a conflict of interest is present, such as a prior relationship between the debtor and the trustee that could affect the impartiality of the trustee's actions. The bankruptcy court would need to recognize this conflict of interest as a valid reason for disqualification of the trustee.