Administrative Law

Federal agencies make an astounding number of policy decisions, engaging in more "lawmaking" and "adjudication" than Congress and the federal courts, respectively. These policy decisions range from the seemingly trivial, such as how many cherries are needed for frozen cherry pie, to matters of life-and-death importance, such as how to limit emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury. These agencies also range in age, organization, and duties. There is the postal service, which was created by the Continental Congress, and changed over five decades ago from a cabinet-level department to a government corporation, with current calls to privatize it. On the newer side, there is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was established in 2011 to protect consumers in the financial arena; its leadership and funding elements produced constitutional challenges that recently resulted in the Supreme Court invalidating its leadership structure (but upholding its funding structure outside congressional appropriations). And there is DOGE--not a formal "department" but an entity making large-scale changes to other federal agencies, including the CFPB. In this quarter of Administrative Law, we will consider the creation and control of the modern administrative state. Topics will include the structure of administrative agencies and their place in a governing scheme of separated but overlapping powers; delegation of authority to agencies; types and requirements of agency decisionmaking; availability and scope of judicial review of agency action (and inaction); and other forms of agency oversight. We will apply concepts through many recent examples, including from the Biden Administration and the second Trump Administration. A variety of policy areas will be considered, including (among others) the COVID-19 pandemic, national security, financial regulation, health care, the environment, food and drugs, and telecommunications. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Written Assignments, Exam. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar website https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/. Click SUNetID Login in the top right corner of the page and then click the "Consent Courses" tab. See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline. This course will be capped at 75 students, randomly selected. The waitlist will give priority to students graduating in 2027 who cannot take the class in the spring quarter and second year students taking a winter or spring quarter clinic that uses Administrative Law.