Law Commons^™

Toward A Stronger Financial History Antidiscrimination Norm., Lea Krivinskas Shepard

Faculty Publications & Other Works

This Article examines a topic at the intersection of consumer protection and antidiscrimination law: the use by employers and licensing organizations of applicants' credit reports and financial histories in the hiring and licensing processes. The Article begins with a broad normative assessment of the merits of the practice by examining applicable "logics of personhood," categories of a framework of antidiscrimination analysis that assesses whether traditionally unprotected groups are entitled to formal antidiscrimination safeguards. Thus, the Article considers whether financial histories validly and reliably reflect personality traits relevant to job performance. It then examines to what extent the use of financial …