Bankruptcy Bill Clears Impasse Over Abortion (LA Times, registration required.)

Well, I am impressed. The big financial services industry finally got the bankruptcy "reform" it was agitating for. It screws over the average consumer nicely, while rewarding banks and whatnot for profligately distributing credit cards to people when any nimrod could have said, "Hey, if you give credit cards to people who really aren't making that much money and have somewhat shaky credit histories, chances are you're not going to get your money back! ... No, really."

And then on top of that, our grand and glorious legislators make a sincere and desperate effort to single out abortion protesters so that they can't get away from judgements against them. Make no mistake; I think the protesters they talk about are particularly odious and vile, as protesters go. That said, it is surely a denial of equal protection to say, "Everyone else, if they pass the means test, can declare bankruptcy of one sort or another. Except you, over there, you nutcase protester. You're stuck paying off the judgement, no matter what." I would imagine that the first time the law is applied, it will be challenged in court, and that section of the "reform" will fall. (It would be lovely if the judges decided the whole thing was hopelessly flawed and struck it down in toto, but that's not terribly likely to happen. Alas.)