391,951 repeat bankruptcy filers received discharge with zero eligibility verification. The government published the data but never checked it. Pick a district. Run the screener. Find out how many are violations.
GitHub Interactive Dashboard Before You File By State Emergency Filing Trustee Investigations Volunteer Guide Espanol
| District | State | Total Filed | Dismiss % | Prior Filers | Prior Disch. % | Unchecked | Verified |
|---|
Register at pacer.uscourts.gov. Searches on the Case Locator are free. You only pay if you download individual documents ($0.10/page, capped at $3/doc) — but the screener doesn't need documents, just the free CSV export.
Go to pcl.uscourts.gov, log in, search Party Name by attorney last name in this court. Export each search as CSV into a csv-exports/ folder. Pull 2-3 high-volume filers + 1-2 smaller firms as controls. See the CSV guide for detailed steps.
Standard library Python — no pip install, no dependencies, runs in seconds:
For a full practice report with leaderboard-ready output:
Click below to open a pre-filled GitHub issue. Paste your numbers and we'll add your district to the map.
Submit ResultsClick any blue district in the table above to get step-by-step instructions, or follow the quick-start below.
Export CSVs from PACER Case Locator (free searches). The CSV guide walks through it.
Point screen_1328f.py at your CSVs. Standard library Python, no installs, runs in seconds.
Open a GitHub issue with your district, case count, and hit count. We add it to the map.
Time-adjusted dismissal rates: Ch. 13 cases now require 3+ years from filing before being counted as outcomes. Recent cases that have not had time to reach discharge are excluded from rate calculations. This prevents monitoring recency bias from inflating dismissal percentages. District-level rates now align with FJC Integrated Database baselines (19.4M cases validated).
Rules Committee submission enclosed. Cover letter to AOUSC supporting Suggestion 25-BK-N (Connelly/Kahn Rule 4004 amendment). Dashboard and open-source tool referenced as supporting data.
Section 1328(f) methodology corrected: filing-to-filing measurement per In re Blendheim, 803 F.3d 477 (9th Cir. 2015). Prior version used discharge-to-filing. Corrected totals: 264 unique cases / 114 discharged in multi-district sample (was 321/141).
Initial release. Interactive national map with attorney-level dismissal rates across federal bankruptcy courts. Section 1328(f) discharge eligibility screening. Open-source Python tools on GitHub.
Open Bankruptcy Project provides free educational information. We are not a law firm. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.
Federal Rules Committee
This research supports Suggestion 26-BK-3 to the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules
Proposing automated Section 1328(f) discharge bar screening in federal bankruptcy courts
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