List of significant administrative law cases

= Legality of Statutory Schemes =

* Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Schor (1986) - Delegation of judicial power to an agency.
* Whitman v. American Trucking Associations, Inc. (2001) - delegation of legislative-like authority must be governed by an "intelligible principal."
* Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha (1983)- Congress may not reserve a "legislative veto" over delegated authority.
* Morrison v. Olson (1988) - Congressional control over executive branch limitations.
* Printz v. United States (1997) - Federal Government may not "commandeer" state executive or administrative officials.
* Gade v. National Solid Wastes Management Association (1992) - Ways in which Federal law preempts state law.

Appropriate Deference to Agency

* Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (1984) - What level of deference should an agencies interpretation of its own statute receive is areas where such interpretations where intended by congress to have the "force of law"?
* Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe (1971) - Important case applying the "arbitrary and capricious" review to rulemaking.
* United States v. Mead Corp. (2001) - What level of deference should an agency's interpretation receive when not intended to have the "force of law"? How to decide if congress intended to have the "force of law"?
* Auer v. Robbins (1997) - How much deference should an agency interpretation of its own regulations get?
* Skidmore v. Swift & Co. (1944) - deference to agency "rules" and interpretations not intended by congress to carry the "force of law."
* Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB (1951) - Court must consider ALJ's contrary ruling when reviewing agency ruling.
* Motor Vehicle Manufactures Association v. State Farm Insurance (1983) - "arbitrary and capricious" to change rule without considering other options for the change.
* Martin v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (1991) - When adjudication and rule-making power is split between two agencies, court should defer to rule-making agency's interpretations.
* Norton v. S. Utah Wilderness Alliance (2004) - Under APA, court can only force the agency to act when it has failed to act when the required act is non-discretionary in nature.
* Block v. Community Nutrition Institute (1984) - presumption of court reviewability overcome when statutory scheme indicates not congressional intent to create a private right.
* Bowen v. Michigan Academy of Family Physicians (1986) Statutory presumption of reviewability not overcome.
* Webster v. Doe (1988) - may not review agency action where "no law to apply."
* Richardson v. Perales - agency may rely on hearsay evidence over non-hearsay evidence and still meet the "substantial evidence" requirement for proving a fact.

Limits on Agency Power

Statutory Interpretation
* FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. (2000) - Existence and scope of authority to rule-make (applying Chevron).

The Administrative Procedure Act
* United States v. Florida East Coast Railway Co. (1973) - formal rule-making requires statute that requires "hearing on the record."
* Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (1978) - courts may not impose additional procedural requirements on top of the Administrative Procedure Act in rulemaking.
* Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation v. LTV Corporation (1990) - informal adjudication must meet the requirements of Administrative Procedure Act sec. 555.

Procedural Due Process
* Goldberg v. Kelly (1970) - When does state or federal law create rights protected by due process?
* Mathews v. Eldridge (1976) - What level of procedural due process is required?
* Londoner v. City and County of Denver (1908)- Due process requirements for adjudication (c.f. Bimetallic)
* Bi-Metallic Investment Co. v. State Board of Equalization (1915) - Due process require for rule-making.

Limits on Power to Make Policy Through Adjudication
* NLRB v. Wyman-Gordon Co. (1969) - making "rules" through adjudication.
* NRLB v. Bell-Aerospace Co. (1974 - can make "rules" through adjudication as long as not abuse of discretion.
* SEC v. Chenery Corp. (1947) - Impermissible creation of retroactive "rules" through adjudication.
* U.S. v. Storer Broadcasting Co. (1956) - agency can make regulations particularizing statute in order to bar some claims at the threshold.

See also

* United States administrative law