Consumer debts in the United States can effectively live (and grow) forever: most statutes of limitations do not extinguish them; they can morph into relatives' obligations after the debtor's death; and they sometimes rise from the grave even after they have been paid. All the while, interest...

For an ever-growing number of students aspiring to higher education, borrowing is essential. Yet the burdens of indebtedness dis-proportionally harm Black and Latinx students. Debt also undermines the meaning and effect of higher education access, enabling many who borrow to reach the middle...

As of May 2020, the United States' reaction to the unique and alarming threat of COVID-19 has partially succeeded in slowing the virus's spread. Saving people's lives, however, came at a severe economic cost. Americans' economic anxiety understandably spiked. In addition to worrying about...

Within weeks of the coronavirus pandemic appearing in the United States, the American economy came to a grinding halt. The unprecedented modern health crisis and the collapsing economy forced Congress to make a critical choice about how to help American families survive financially. Congress had...

The coronavirus pandemic upturned Americans' lives. The profound financial effects caused by even a few weeks of the coronavirus' upheaval spurred Congress to pass the CARES Act, which purported to provide economic relief to individuals and businesses. For individuals, the CARES Act includes...

This is a short essay detailing the various times that Congress has enacted laws restricting the dischargeability of student loans in bankruptcy and the statements in the congressional record supporting those legislative changes

Since 1976, Congress has progressively amended the bankruptcy laws to treat some types of student loans differently from other unsecured debt. In 2005, student loans originated by private companies — loans granted only to credit-worthy individuals and risk-priced at origination — were added...

When a student receiving Title IV financial aid, such as a Pell Grant, withdraws after attending for 60% or less of an enrollment period, federal aid rules require colleges to return a portion of students’ Title IV aid disbursals to the U.S. Department of Education, in a policy known as...

This foreword introduces a compendium of articles outlining the legal authorities for administrative cancellation of student debt. As of the date this compendium was published, the nation’s outstanding cumulative student debt burden stands at $1.7 trillion, collectively shouldered by 45...