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Sarah Sharer Curley, the former U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge for the District of Arizona, argues that recent federal legislation will likely drive up personal bankruptcy filings by making student debt harder to manage.
In her new book, "The Price of Forgiveness: Debt, Bankruptcy, and the Future of Fairness in America," Curley contends that the current legal framework fails to provide meaningful relief to indebted Americans, a situation she says is exacerbated by policy shifts under the current administration.
According to data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, more than half a million personal bankruptcy cases were filed in 2025, representing an almost 50% increase from three years prior.
Curley attributes part of this surge to the changing economic landscape, where many workers are employed as independent contractors with few benefits or are forced to work for multiple employers to meet weekly financial needs.
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