A couple of months back, I offered the following rule of thumb: “If you want to understand an appellate judge, don’t spend too much time on majority opinions,” but instead “look to his or her separate writings.” It is in those opinions—opinions a judge doesn’t have to write—that one best observes a judge trying to […]
The challenges to the denial of the Keystone XL pipeline simultaneously in both U.S. Federal Court and through the North American Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) investment chapter raise issues regarding how challenges to U.S. regulatory actions might be handled in international arbitration and the future of new trade agreements. The Administrative Law Section Energy Committee, […]
Procedural fairness is not a policy priority in immigration law. Yes, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument soon in Texas v. United States, a case that raises questions about whether the Department of Homeland Security used appropriate procedures in formulating a prosecutorial discretion plan. In that case, some states are challenging the policy, arguing […]
I remember well the indignation I felt when I first learned about unpublished decisions. The idea that an appellate court in a common-law system can issue a decision that “carries no precedential force“—an opinion good for one case only—struck me as scandalous. The rule of law, I felt, depended on precedential effect. But then I […]
Earlier this week my co-blogger Michael Kagan had a great post on the Federal Government’s opening brief in United States v. Texas—the Supreme Court case regarding the Obama Administration’s executive actions on immigration that will be argued in April. I wanted to highlight one of the amicus briefs in support of the United States by […]
Regulatory reform legislation has been a lively topic, and is likely to remain so. Next Tuesday, a panel featuring four senior House and Senate professional staff members will address “Congressional Interest in Regulatory Reform” during the 12th Annual Administrative Law Institute in Washington, D.C. And next Wednesday, the Hoover Institute and the ABA Section of Administrative […]
Next week I will be presenting my Legislating in the Shadows project as part of a research roundtableat George Mason’s new Center for the Study of the Administrative State, which is directed by Neomi Rao. To mark the occasion, I thought I’d highlight Professor Rao’s terrific new article Administrative Collusion: How Delegation Diminishes the Collective […]
It’s often said that “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” And this certainly is true of the history of administrative law: many of the issues we debate today, on the structure of agencies, the procedures that agencies should undertake, and the judicial review that agencies should take, echo strongly the debates of past […]
Last week the Obama Administration filed its opening brief in United States v. Texas, the pending case at the Supreme Court challenging President Obama’s immigration deferred action programs, known as DACA and DAPA. We haven’t seen Texas’ brief yet, but here are some initial reactions: Justice Scalia’s Mixed Legacy for Deferred Action Justice Scalia’s death […]
On March 30th, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc. The question presented concerns “final agency action”: Is the Army Corps’ determination that the Clean Water Act applies to waters on private land “final agency action” reviewable under the Administrative Procedure Act? According to […]
Kimberly Robinson has posted an interesting story about how early you have to get up to get a ticket to a Supreme Court argument. The answer: sometimes very early. This reminded me of my post from last October: “No One Should Be Waiting in Lines.” The Supreme Court, like the Washington Monument, should make at […]
The 12th Annual Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Institute (Institute) begins one week from today. The Institute is hosted by the Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice and sponsor, The Regulatory Group. This year’s Institute, which is chaired by John F. Cooney, Partner at Venable LLP and Vice-Chair of the Section, will take place […]
Tax season is right around the corner, and many Americans will soon discover that they paid more taxes in 2015 than they lawfully owed. On filing their returns, they will happily claim a tax refund. Suppose, however, that the President, with the support of Congress, decides that the rules should retroactively change. Rather than return […]
Last month over at Jotwell, Adrian Vermeule reviewed Administrative War by then-Stanford Law Professor and now-California Supreme Court Justice Tino Cuellar. Justice Cuellar’s article was published in the George Washington Law Review in 2014. Indeed, it was the foreword to the Law Review’s annual administrative law issue, which also included, among others, an article of mine […]
Last week, I praised Justice Elena Kagan for her sharp questions at oral argument. This week, however, her dissent in Lockhart v. United States prompts a friendly concern: Should there be pop culture references in Supreme Court opinions? Although such references are fun today, I fear they will confuse lawyers tomorrow. Indeed, just as the […]