Court debates student loans, borrowers see disconnect
Debt cancellation serious matter for those in need
WASHINGTON – Niara Thompson couldn’t shake her frustration as the Supreme Court debated President Joe Biden’s student debt cancellation. As she listened from the audience Tuesday, it all felt academic. There was a long discussion on the nuances of certain words. Justices asked lawyers to explore hypothetical scenarios.
For Thompson, none of it is hypothetical. A student at the University of Georgia, she grew up watching her parents struggle with student loans and will graduate with about $50,000 of her own student debt.
“It felt like people who could never understand why we would want something like this,” she said. “I wanted to be like, ‘Y’all don’t understand. Y’all are focusing on this, but there’s people out here who are struggling to find food for their families.’ ”
Much of the discussion in Tuesday’s hearing centered on whether states had the legal right to sue over Biden’s student loans plan. But the justices also were scrutinizing whether Biden had the authority to waive hundreds of billions of dollars in debt without the explicit approval of Congress.
It’s not unusual for Supreme Court cases to hang on legal technicalities. Yet to borrowers following Tuesday’s arguments, it felt isolating to hear such a personal subject reduced to cold legal language.
Thompson was among a few dozen borrowers who camped out in drizzle overnight to get seats at the court for Tuesday’s hearing.
Some of the court’s liberal justices sought several times to turn the arguments back to the people who would benefit from the program. In response, conservatives asked if those who passed up college should pay for those who borrowed money to attend.
For Thompson’s family, years of payments hang in the balance. Student loan payments have been on hold since the start of the pandemic, but they are set to restart 60 days after the court cases resolve – regardless of the outcome.
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