A central premise in administrative law is that federal judges lack the democratic legitimacy of executive branch officials. As Justice Scalia put it in City of Arlington v. FCC, “unelected . . . federal judges” are “even less politically accountable” than “unelected federal bureaucrats.” A similar sentiment suffuses Justice Stevens’s opinion for the court in […]
The D.C. Circuit issued no opinions this week. Especially with this extra time, it is fitting to take a few moments to reflect on the “admin law” legacy of Justice Scalia, a former administrative law professor and surely one of the most important and talented jurists in the history of the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia […]
The D.C. Circuit has released a fascinating opinion about the total meltdown of Medicare’s system of internal appeals. The case brings to mind the old paradox of the irresistible force and the immovable object: it’s genuinely vexing and about as difficult to solve. As I explained eighteen months ago, Medicare’s got a big problem on […]
After an extended hiatus and by (somewhat) popular demand, I’m bringing back the weeklyAdministrative Law Bridge Series, which highlights terrific scholarship in administrative law and regulation to help bridge the gap between theory and practice in the regulatory state. I have a backlog of a few dozen pieces I’d love to highlight, and these reviews […]
The betting website PredictIt now puts the odds of Donald Trump winning the White House this November at 22%. I don’t think that estimate is too far off: Trump is ahead in virtually every recent Republican primary poll, and he trails Hillary Clinton by 3.4 percentage points in a general election matchup (according to the […]
On December 21, 2015, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) transmitted to Congress a strategy for U.S. Government engagement in international standardization for cybersecurity. Development of such a strategy was required by the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014, which tasked NIST to work with relevant federal agencies to ensure interagency coordination in “the […]
Today is a sad day for the United States. My favorite memory of Justice Scalia involves Halloween. I don’t know if the Supreme Court does this every year, but when I was there as a law clerk, the Supreme Court invited all the children of clerks to trick-or-treat from chambers to chambers. My kids were […]
The U.S. Supreme Court reminded the world this week that while the D.C. Circuit may be the nation’s “second most important court,” the Supreme Court remains the first. In particular, the Supreme Court decided to stay the EPA’s Power Plant Rule, even though a motions panel of the D.C. Circuit (Judges Henderson, Rogers, and Srinivasan) […]
To follow up on yesterday’s update on House v. Burwell, I thought it might be useful to post the briefs accompanying the cross-motions for summary judgment. To my knowledge, they haven’t been made publicly available elsewhere: House’s Opening Brief. Burwell’s Opening Brief. House’s Opposition Brief. Burwell’s Opposition Brief. House’s Reply Brief. Burwell’s Reply Brief.
The primary reason for the decline of immigration exceptionalism is that plenary power has become “subject to important constitutional limitations,” as the Supreme Court said in Zadvydas v. Davis. We do not yet have a complete picture of what all of those constitutional limitations are. We also know that plenary power has not entirely disappeared, […]
In many ways, the burgeoning study of the bounds of the President’s power lies at the intersection of administrative and immigration law. A related area in which I have a special interest is the exercise of power by officials below the level of the president. In my view, the rich literature on agencies’ activity is […]
In an essay published earlier this week, Prof. Michael Kagan expresses concern that “one aspect” of the Obama administration’s executive actions on immigration might be vulnerable when the Supreme Court adjudicates United States v. Texas later this year. In particular, Kagan worries that the plaintiffs might “have a valid point” when they assert that the administration’s initiatives—Deferred […]
On January 27, 2016, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published its long-awaited revision of Circular A-119 on “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities.” The new policy was developed through an interagency process that took into account public input received during two […]
In House v. Burwell news, the Obama administration and the House of Representatives have each filed their final briefs on whether Congress has supplied an appropriation for the cost-sharing subsidies. The government has requested oral argument in the case, but a hearing date has yet to be scheduled. What happens when and if the court […]
Here is the January 2016 edition of the most-downloaded recent papers (those announced in the last 60 days) from SSRN’s U.S. Administrative Law eJournal , which is edited by Bill Funk . This is when things get a bit more exciting, as many scholars begin posting articles as part of the Spring law review submission cycle. […]