Bankruptcy in the United States is a matter placed under Federal
jurisdiction by the United States Constitution (in Article 1,
Section 8), which allows Congress to enact "uniform laws on the
subject of Bankruptcy throughout the United States." Its
implementation, however, is found in statute law. The relevant
statutes are incorporated within the Bankruptcy Code,
located at Title 11 of the United States Code, and amplified by
state law in the many places where Federal law either fails to
speak or expressly defers to state law.
While bankruptcy cases are always filed in United States Bankruptcy Court (an adjunct to the U.S. District Courts), bankruptcy cases, particularly with respect to the validity of claims and exemptions, are often highly dependent upon State law. State law therefore plays a major role in many bankruptcy cases, and it is often quite unwise to generalize bankruptcy issues across state lines.
