Citations & References

OBP submitted an empirical analysis of statutory discharge bar enforcement gaps to the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules. The submission, based on analysis of 8 million federal bankruptcy cases, proposed automated screening of Sections 1328(f), 727(a)(8), and 109(g) discharge bars at the point of case filing. The suggestion was docketed on March 23, 2026 and assigned designation 26-BK-3. Cited by the Consumer Subcommittee in the April 15 Advisory Committee agenda book (Tab 4C, p.125, fn.4).

OBP submitted a supplemental empirical analysis addressing Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037(a) compliance gaps in Official Forms 121 and 309E1, based on a free RECAP/CourtListener scan identifying unredacted personal identifiers in filings across multiple federal judicial districts. The submission proposed five amendments: (1) an auto-sealing event code for documents flagged under Rule 9037; (2) template-integrity audit for Official Forms containing PII fields; (3) pre-acceptance screening at the ECF upload point; (4) a non-cure provision clarifying that redaction after PACER publication does not remedy prior disclosure; and (5) mandatory clerk notification to affected individuals. The suggestion was docketed on April 16, 2026 and assigned designation 26-BK-5.

OBP has contributed 549+ cases and 3,100+ documents to the RECAP Archive, the Free Law Project's open repository of federal court documents. These donations make PACER documents freely accessible to the public, reducing barriers to court transparency. Donated cases span multiple districts and include dockets relevant to discharge bar research.

The first open-source tool for screening Section 1328(f) and 727(a)(8) discharge bars using client-side computation. Runs entirely in the browser - no data is transmitted to any server. The screener uses sql.js to query a local copy of the FJC database directly in the user's browser.

A network of free educational websites covering major bankruptcy statutes, procedures, and consumer protection topics. All content is bilingual (English and Spanish), hosted on GitHub Pages with zero hosting costs, and published under open-source licenses. The network includes statutory analysis, court guides, and free screening tools.