Is Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing Unconstitutional?
  • August 21, 2013

Is Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing Unconstitutional?

Is Detroit’s Bankruptcy Filing Unconstitutional?

Bond holders are at odds with municipal workers over who will bear the brunt of the city’s bankruptcy.

Chris Hayes
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bond holders are at odds with municipal workers over who will bear the brunt of Detroit’s bankruptcy. Yesterday, unions and two public pension funds that represent City workers and retirees submitted formal objections to Detroit’s bankruptcy filing, arguing that emergency manager Kevin Orr is miscalculating how much the City’s pension obligations are underfunded.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes is joined by Lee Saunders, president of the AFSCME union, and Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research, to respond to the right-wing caricature of Detroit’s demise and debate whether the City’s effort to defund pension plans is unconsitutional.

—Jake Scobey-Thal

Bankruptcy court is not a democracy.

Support independent journalism that exposes oligarchs and profiteers


Donald Trump’s cruel and chaotic second term is just getting started. In his first month back in office, Trump and his lackey Elon Musk (or is it the other way around?) have proven that nothing is safe from sacrifice at the altar of unchecked power and riches.

Only robust independent journalism can cut through the noise and offer clear-eyed reporting and analysis based on principle and conscience. That’s what The Nation has done for 160 years and that’s what we’re doing now.

Our independent journalism doesn’t allow injustice to go unnoticed or unchallenged—nor will we abandon hope for a better world. Our writers, editors, and fact-checkers are working relentlessly to keep you informed and empowered when so much of the media fails to do so out of credulity, fear, or fealty.

The Nation has seen unprecedented times before. We draw strength and guidance from our history of principled progressive journalism in times of crisis, and we are committed to continuing this legacy today.

We’re aiming to raise $25,000 during our Spring Fundraising Campaign to ensure that we have the resources to expose the oligarchs and profiteers attempting to loot our republic. Stand for bold independent journalism and donate to support The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel

Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Chris Hayes Chris Hayes is the Editor-at-Large of The Nation and host of “All In with Chris Hayes” on MSNBC.


Ad Policy
x

Latest from the nation

Yesterday 11:28 am

Is Mark Carney a Climate Radical?

Mark Hertsgaard
Yesterday 10:09 am

We Need to Turn Our Outrage Way Up

Gregg Gonsalves
Yesterday 9:37 am
Education

Columbia Is Betraying Its Students. We Must Change Course.

Bruce Robbins
Yesterday 8:30 am

Breaking Democracy

Giulio Bonasera
Yesterday 5:00 am

Going for Green: Uruguay’s Renewable Energy Revolution

Natasha Hakimi Zapata

editor's picks

VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. Here’s Why.

The Nation

Historical Amnesia About Slavery Is a Tool of White Supremacy

Mychal Denzel Smith