Administrative Law

This course studies the law of decisionmaking by federal administrative agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Government agencies make numerous types of decisions on innumerable subjects, so the course focuses on the boundaries set by the Constitution, legislation, and judicial decisions. We examine the largely constitutional questions of power and control by the political branches of government over agencies; the constitutionally and legislatively established internal structure and procedures of agencies; and finally the fundamental role of judicial review in the work of administrative agencies.