On Bankruptcy and Mediation
By: Donald L. Swanson It’s not every day that the U.S. Supreme Court makes a pronouncement on criminal law in the context of a bankruptcy case. But that’s what happened on Tuesday (May 29, 2018) in the Supreme Court’s Lagos v. United States opinion (Case No. 16-1519). Bankruptcy Facts On February 2, 2010, a trucking enterprise, USA... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court made its latest pronouncement upholding arbitration: Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, U.S. Supreme Court Case No. 16-285 (issued May 21, 2018). The pronouncement follows a long line of precedents upholding and enforcing arbitration agreements, founded on the Federal Arbitration Act. This article explores the Epic Systems v. Lewis decision... Continue Reading →
By Donald L. Swanson Have you ever solved one problem but created another in the process? That's, of course, not very helpful. But that’s exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court did a couple years ago in Husky International Electronics, Inc. v. Ritz, 136 S.Ct. 1581 (2016). And ramifications continue, to this day, in a three-way split... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Football fan: “You just cost me $1,000.” Coach Tom Osborne: “I didn’t make the bet.” Steven M. Sipple, Lincoln Journal Star, May 15, 2018. Question: Can Congress command a state’s lawmakers to outlaw sports gambling? Answer: The U.S. Supreme Court says: "No," Congress has no such authority under the U.S. Constitution; but Congress... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson The student loan crisis and potential legislation to solve it are in the news these days. Lots of ideas are bandied about on what legislation might look like. Top Priority There is a top priority for such legislation that dwarfs all others. The number one priority, bar none (and it’s not... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson In our uncommonly vicious and partisan political culture, it’s refreshing to hear oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on a non-partisan and apolitical issue. Here’s one: --Oral arguments held on April 17, 2018, in the bankruptcy case of Lamar, Archer & Cofrin, LLP v. Appling, Case No. 16-1215 [here’s the transcript] .... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson On April 3, 2018, Justices Kennedy and Thomas issue this Statement for the U.S. Supreme Court in Deutsche Bank v. McCormick, Case No. 16-317 [photo of entire Statement is above]: “consideration of the petition for certiorari will be deferred . . . given the possibility that there might not be a quorum... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson “Any judicial process brought about as the direct consequence of . . . a political struggle is political.” “Score-settling, blood-letting, revenge and political calculation played a crucial role in these and many other post-war trials and purges.” Tony Judt, Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945, at 49 (Penguin Press 2005). One... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L. Swanson Whenever a court goes out of its way to say in an opinion, “We aren’t deciding issues X and Y,” it’s time to take notice. The omitted issues must be significant, in some way, to what’s being decided; otherwise, there’s no reason to mention them. And when the opinion is from the... Continue Reading →
By: Donald L Swanson A student loan cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, unless the loan “would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor’s dependents.” --11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8) So, what qualifies as “undue hardship” under § 523(a)(8)? --You might think that an, “I can’t pay both rent and child care, let alone student... Continue Reading →
