According to Rayburn, potential buyers expressed interest in acquiring the Hostess brand. On November 21, Judge Robert Drain cleared Hostess to close. In approving the plan, Drain ruled against U.S. Trustee for the Southern District Tracy Hope Davis' motion to convert the bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy with an appointed trustee to oversee liquidation. Davis criticized the plan's provisions, which would grant bonuses to insiders' and 'cherry-pick' which administrative claims get paid". Drain left Rayburn in charge of the liquidation; Hostess had argued that its assets would devalue if the company had to wait for a trustee to get up to speed on the company. Hostess Brands' liquidation plan was finalized by a federal bankruptcy judge on November 29. In January 2013, the company asked a judge to set a March 21 deadline for workers to file back-pay claims. On February 11, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York approved stalking horse bidders for Hostess Brands.