Volume 31
Issue
II

Letter from the Editors

by Sierra Campbell and Ruby Grace
As we begin the new year, the need for innovative strategies to address poverty and economic inequity is clearer than ever: individuals and families in the U.S. are currently experiencing a decline in reported financial well-being, rising rates of homelessness, and rising national student loan debt. All people deserve stable housing, economic security, and the resources […]

Criminalization of the Unhoused: A Case Study of Alternatives to a Punitive System

by Laurie Hauber
Millions of people today experience housing insecurity and homelessness, a large percentage of whom live without access to a sanctioned shelter site. The predominant response to this housing and homelessness crisis by local governments throughout the country is the enforcement of punitive measures that are ineffective and inhumane. A punitive approach to addressing unsheltered homelessness […]

Lending Experimentalism: A New Regulatory Approach to Payday Loans

by David Berman
Payday loans entangle consumers with few alternatives in catastrophically harmful cycles of borrowing. But because of their design, payday loans are vexingly difficult to regulate effectively. This article explains how the structure of regulatory oversight of payday lending abets lenders’ evasion. In it, I focus on how dynamism, the financial sector’s ability to quickly evolve, […]

Who Bears the Cost?: The Public Use Requirement in Failed Economic Development Projects

by Carly Hoffman
The Supreme Court’s expansion of the public use doctrine authorizes takings for economic development and permits the transfer of private property from individuals to private developers. Because the judiciary defers to the legislature on determinations of public use, courts fail to intervene even when individuals are displaced to enable highly speculative or infeasible urban development […]

Student Debt Is a Racial Justice Issue: Could Antitrust Law Provide a Legal Avenue for Relief?

by Stephanie Kaczowski
The student loan crisis is a racial justice issue. Race/ethnicity is one of the strongest predictors of federal student loan default. Compared with other racial demographics, Black students are more likely to default and less likely to resume repayment after defaulting. Similarly, Black students are more likely to have student loan debt than White, Hispanic, […]

District of Columbia Housing Authority Reform: Low-Income Housing Problems and Reformatory Action

by Drew Knauss
Affordable housing in the United States faces several challenges including a lack of supply and a lack of quality housing for many tenants. This means that, for lowest-income housing seekers, many are left without affordable options or in inadequate housing. This housing can be unsafe and detrimental to the health and development of residents. While […]