Our constitutional order contains an “anti-power-accumulation principle.” This principle has three components: first, power must be formally and functionally exercised exclusively by the intended actor–be it the state or federal government, one of the branches within those respective governments, or the people, whether as individuals or acting through a formal or informal association, such as a corporation; second, there […]

The Justice Department’s March 21, 2024 monopolization lawsuit against Apple implements the last piece of an agreement reached between the FTC and DOJ in June of 2019 ceding Facebook/Meta and Amazon to the FTC and Google and Apple to the DOJ. There was never much of a question about whether the federal agencies and their state Attorney General counterparts would launch […]

Corner Post v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,[1] recently argued in the Supreme Court, mainly concerns the limitations period for judicial review of agency decisions. The case also raises issues about administrative law remedies, which came up briefly at the argument. Important for both sets of issues is that Corner Post, a private […]

In a forthcoming law review article, Richard Revesz and I contend that agencies should preemptively rebut challenges under the major questions doctrine by drawing parallels to past agency actions. A recent federal regulation offers a template for this analysis.  In its pollution standards for new vehicles issued last week, the Environmental Protection Agency extensively responded to claims that […]

In SEC v. Jarkesy, the Supreme Court is poised to hold that whenever the SEC seeks to impose monetary penalties on enforcement targets for securities fraud, it must proceed in federal court and not inside its own administrative forum. Many observers predict such a holding would significantly impact SEC enforcement. But maybe not. In a new paper, […]

The Judicial Conference of the United States recently directed federal district courts to assign cases that seek broad relief, such as a challenge to a federal regulation, randomly on a district-wide basis. The judicial conference’s guidance follows similar statements by the American Bar Association, proposals to amend the federal rules, and proposed legislation.  In any other era, this minutia of […]

Gun rights’ advocates often quip “The Second Amendment protects the other nine.” Now, the National Rifle Association is hoping in two separate, but related cases that the First Amendment will protect it from what it claims is the State of New York’s unlawful regulatory and administrative enforcement.  On March 18 the Supreme Court will hear NRA […]

It is widely believed that social media is, at least in part, responsible for the deteriorating mental health of America’s adolescents and teens.  Politicians have taken notice, and in an election season they are keen to score points with voters back home.  Yet, succumbing to the pressure to do something by November risks ill-formed legislation.  Such is the […]

The following is a list of the Administrative Law topics in pending and decided cases so far in the Supreme Court’s October 2023 Term.  I made this list for the admin law class I teach this spring at the University of Illinois Chicago because students expressed strong interest in class topics currently at the Court, […]

There is much hubbub over the major questions doctrine. For good reason. The Supreme Court has lately invoked the doctrine to invalidate sweeping regulatory initiatives, such as the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, OSHA’s workplace vaccine mandate, and the CDC’s eviction moratorium. There is now a cottage industry of law reviews trying to make sense of […]

Most legal entities, like corporations, have officers and directors who, together, run the business. Directors sit on the board of directors and collectively govern and oversee the entity. In contrast, officers generally implement the board’s vision and manage the day-to-day operations of the business.  While there is widespread agreement that the roles and responsibilities of officers and […]

Our recent Essay in the Wisconsin Law Review Forward explores the question, what do multiple versions of the major questions doctrine mean for the future of legislation? We observe that, after West Virginia v. EPA, 597 U.S. 697 (2022) and Biden v. Nebraska, 143 S.Ct. 2355 (2023), we now have three versions of the major questions doctrines: The “clear […]

An essay by John McGinnis, “The Rise and Fall of Chevron,” recently caught my eye. McGinnis, now a professor at Northwestern, writes that as a summer legal intern he assisted Deputy Solicitor General Paul Bator in writing the government’s brief in Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council back in 1983. Though we’ve never met, I felt a […]

Last month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimando and Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce, both of which asked the Court to overrule Chevron. By overruling Chevron, what the parties are really asking is that the Court overrule the two-step test from the beginning of the case, not that the Court overrule the final holding that […]

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a set of stay applications, consolidated under the caption Ohio v. EPA, that ask the Court to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s Good Neighbor Rule. The rule sets out requirements for 23 upwind states to meet their obligations under the Clean Air Act not to contribute to […]