Faculty Workshops
 
Welfare Debt

Welfare Debt

Description

Assistant Professor Nicole Langston from Vanderbilt University presented her work, Welfare Debt. The paper examines how past-due child support debt, often owed to the government rather than custodial parents, disproportionately burdens low-income individuals, particularly Black men. Langston critiques the welfare cost recovery system, which traps noncustodial parents in cycles of debt and incarceration. She highlights disparities in the bankruptcy system, where welfare debt remains nondischargeable while tax debt, primarily carried by wealthier individuals, can be forgiven. The paper advocates for policy reforms to align the treatment of welfare debt with tax debt, ensuring greater financial relief for vulnerable populations.

Presenter

Nicole Langston is a bankruptcy scholar examining debt’s social impact and economic inequality. Her research, published in the California Law Review and Vanderbilt Law Review, highlights racial and socioeconomic disparities in consumer bankruptcy. She teaches at Vanderbilt Law and previously practiced as a bankruptcy litigator and clerked for federal judges.

Workshop Date

2-21-2024

Keywords

Welfare Debt, Bankruptcy, Child Support, Economic Inequality, Debt Incarceration Cycle

Disciplines

Bankruptcy Law | Consumer Protection Law | Public Law and Legal Theory

Welfare Debt

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