Do guarantors count as applicants under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act?

Verified source milestones

1. 2026-08-29 — An official oral-argument transcript was verified.

A citizen's guide to the whole case

What this case is about

Hawkins v. Community Bank of Raymore asks if guarantors qualify as applicants under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The lower court ruled against the sides that brought the case. The Supreme Court will review this legal interpretation.

How the case got here

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on October 5, 2015.

What each side wants

the sides that brought the case want the Court to rule that guarantors are applicants under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

the opposing sides want the Court to rule that guarantors are not applicants under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

What each side says

Mr. Duggan argues that joint debtors are applicants under the statute.

Mr. Mcallister argues that the agency cannot rewrite the statute to exclude guarantors.

What the justices asked

Justice Scalia asked if a recommendation letter writer is an applicant.

Justice Scalia asked if the agency can define the term applicant.

Why it matters

This case defines who receives federal protection from credit discrimination. It determines the scope of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. It affects how banks treat guarantors in loan agreements.

What happens next

This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity.

Official Court provenance

Official docket and case history · Official Supreme Court oral-argument detail page

Title and summary sources

• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 12-30 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 12-30
• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 20-50
• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 6-32 — Transcript, file page 30, lines 6-32
• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 12-30 — Transcript, file page 14, lines 12-30
• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50 — Transcript, file page 3, lines 20-50
• Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 6-32 — Transcript, file page 30, lines 6-32

Revision history

1. Revision 1 · Official Transcript · 2026-08-30 19:33:10.940006+00:00

   Correction: Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.

2. Revision 2 · Official Transcript · 2026-09-05 03:22:24+00:00

   Correction: Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.