In re Romero

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER ON HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION

Thomas B. McNamara, Bankruptcy Judge

Driven by the concept of Manifest Destiny, slogans like “Go West, Young Man,” and the promise of opportunity, pioneers pushed westward even before Colorado became a State. Settlement by homesteading was a central feature of the expansion. Federal and state law encouraged the migration west by offering homesteads — and protecting them. Colorado exempted homesteads from execution in its Constitution and early statutes.

This case presents a modern twist on homesteading. On his bankruptcy Schedule C, the Debtor,…