Unlock the debtor’s prison of student loans

Earlier this year, a judge denounced the myth that student loans can’t be erased in bankruptcy court as she excused a Navy veteran from having to pay $221,000 in education debt. Bankruptcy judge Cecelia G. Morris’ decision garnered plenty of headlines, along with speculation that the ruling might make such discharges easier.

The battle isn’t over, though. A few days later, Morris’ ruling was appealed by the Education Credit Management Corporation, a nonprofit company that guarantees and services federal student loans for the U.S. Department of Education.

In my latest for the Associated Press, what the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission on Consumer Bankruptcy recommends to begin freeing borrowers from their loans.