Editorial Portrait of Rafael I. Pardo, of Seattle University

This past week I got another assignment for The Chronicle of Higher Education here in Seattle. This time it was a portrait of Rafael I. Pardo, an Associate Professor at Seattle University School of Law. The news article was headlined “Supreme Court Considers Case About Excusing Student Debt Through Bankruptcy” and it was about a case which is scheduled for arguments this week.  Professor Pardo teaches in the fields of bankruptcy, commercial law, and contracts. Much of his research explores the relationship between educational debt and financial distress, particularly within the bankruptcy system. His recent research has also analyzed bankruptcy courts and their institutional role within the federal judicial system. The case before the Supreme Court this week weighs federal rules for dismissing student debt in bankruptcy proceedings against the authority of a judge’s final court orders. Pardo has been working on the case, United Student Aid Funds Inc. v. Espinosa, and it highlights the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of bankruptcy law that makes student loans as difficult to excuse as court-ordered child support. Pardo says that the standard for applying “undue hardship” in loan repayment is inconsistent.

For more, read the article by Eric Kelderman in The Chronicle of Higher Education.