Bob Lawless

The Con Law profs knew what they were signing up for. Me, teaching Consumer Finance, not so much. I started teaching the course only because I thought I could use my notes in perpetuity.

As an Illinoisan, it is a very odd feeling to be proud of your governor.

A lot of September was devoted to moving Credit Slips to a WordPress. I fought the Internet, and the score is Bob 1, Internet 0. Check out the new Credit Slips blog, same as the old blog but with better formatting.

P.S. -- A big shoutout to the IT support here at Illinois for their help.

This is low-hanging fruit that one would think all would agree on. It should not be any more difficult to cancel a consumer contract than it is to enter into it.

Debt's Grip

On Aug 15, @bji.bsky.social hosted a book event for Debt's Grip. Judge Erithe Smith led a discussion about the book with me and my co-authors, @boblawless.bsky.social and Debb Thorne. We talked about themes and presented some key data. Recording now available! www.law.berkeley.edu/research/bji...

Welcome to Bluesky @law.illinois.edu And thank you to Chris Davies for doing such an excellent job hosting this podcast

Existing while brown, speaking Spanish, & working with a blue collar is apparently an acceptable reason for ICE to seize you on suspicion of immigration charges in America according to a majority on the Supreme Court.

Working hard to get Credit Slips moved. Thank you to the hardworking IT staff at the University of Illinois for their help.

A post on a very much an "inside baseball" topic but an issue that just annoys me because it is so easy to get this right.

Debt's Grip is out today!

www.creditslips.org/creditslips/...

Agree. See www.creditslips.org/creditslips/...

www.creditslips.org/creditslips/...

Direct File exists. We already paid for it. So we are now trashing software that we have already paid for, that people are using, that people *love*, in the name of "efficiency." Yes, blame the Trump administration for this, but Intuit has been desperate to murder Direct File for years.

The student loan changes have lots of issues. These are some observations about what is coming for legal education. Tl;dr -- it would be great if students did not borrow so much for law school but in the real world where they do, this law will hurt them.

Someday in a legal academic's career, they must complain about law reviews. Today was that day for me.

The “Seizure of Power” 2025: An Historical Reflection Illinois Law professor Matthew W. Finkin draws a detailed historical comparison between Donald Trump’s 2025 actions as U.S. president and key elements of the Nazi regime’s early consolidation of power...

From my colleague, Matt Finkin, about the parallels between to a previous seizure of power in 1930s Germany. Worth a read.

verdict.justia.com/2025/06/05/t...
@justiaverdict.bsky.social

Debt's Grip by Pamela Foohey, Robert Lawless, Deborah Thorne - Paper Scholarship is a powerful tool for changing how people think, plan, and govern. By giving voice to bright minds and bold ideas, we seek to foster understanding and drive progressive change.

In two months, on August 5, my new co-authored book, Debt's Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy, published by University of California Press, will be out! (Co-authored with @boblawless.bsky.social and Deborah Thorne, University of Idaho.) More about the book here: www.ucpress.edu/books/debts-...

Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.

Dear President Trump,

Below is an executive order that crossed my desk today. I just feel you should be aware that some jackass is signing your name to stupid orders on meaningless bullshit.

Under His Eye,
/s/

P.S. -- Even this one is still illegal.

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

YouTube video by Senator Elizabeth Warren Did Trump help insiders cash in on his tariff flip-flopping?

I'm calling for an investigation into whether President Trump manipulated the market to benefit his Wall Street donors—all while working people and small businesses paid the price.

Did Trump help insiders cash in on his tariff flip-flopping? It sure looks like corruption.

Tariffs

This is my new all-time favorite Xkcd, explaining exactly why the tariffs are so dumb.
xkcd.com/3073/

Wait, you mean there is hypocrisy in the Trump administration?

Some interesting points from Adam Levitin about 23andme's bankruptcy filing. I am not sure I agree about the stay violation but also not sure I disagree. Worth a read.

www.creditslips.org/creditslips/...

The Trump Administration has fired another effective and dedicated public servant.

On top of all the other mean-spirited, discriminatory, and moronic things our new corporate overlords have done, they now have me rooting for Capital One.

Wait, I can simply switch between my personal account and the Credit Slips account. I don't need to logout and login? This is already better than the Bad Place. And, yes, for those of you in the field, we now have a blog account as well. Stay tuned.