Aug 26 (Reuters) - Ex-U.S. bankruptcy judge David Jones

can be questioned about his once-secret relationship with an

attorney whose former law firm appeared in cases before him,

including whether he was biased toward the law firm, a Houston

bankruptcy judge ruled on Saturday.

Chief Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez said Jones can be

questioned by U.S. law firm Jackson Walker and the U.S. Trustee,

the Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog, over his

relationship with Elizabeth Freeman.

Judicial policy prohibits judges from testifying about their

official acts without authorization. Rodriguez said Jones and

his former case manager, Albert Alonzo, will be questioned under

his supervision, as some of the questions could run up against

that policy.

Jackson Walker and the U.S. Trustee said they want to ask

Jones when his relationship with Freeman began and when they

began living together, and whether his relationship resulted in

any rulings that were biased toward the law firm, among other

things.

Jones, Freeman, Alonzo and their lawyers did not immediately

respond to requests for comment, nor did a spokesperson for the

U.S. Trustee. A Jackson Walker spokesperson declined to comment.

Jones was once the busiest bankruptcy judge in the U.S. and

had recently presided over the bankruptcies of JCPenney, Neiman

Marcus, Party City and Chesapeake Energy ( CHK ), among many others. He

resigned from the bench last October after admitting to sharing

a home with Freeman.

Since then, the U.S. Trustee has been trying to force

Jackson Walker to disgorge millions of dollars in legal fees

that Jones approved in 35 bankruptcy cases filed by the law

firm. Rodriguez is overseeing that litigation.

During a hearing earlier this month, Jones confirmed he was

under criminal investigation.

Rodriguez sanctioned Jones earlier this month for offering

testimony outside of the court's supervision.