Administrative Law

Administrative law governs how federal agencies develop, interpret, and implement policy. It centers on the Administrative Procedure Act, substantive statutory authorizations, case law and related doctrines shaping rulemaking, public participation, and judicial review of agency action.

For environmental lawyers, administrative law is the connective tissue between statutes and real-world outcomes, determining how well-reasoned agency decisions will be proposed and finalized. ACOEL fellows regularly discuss issues of environmental regulatory design, evolving norms for regulatory agency accountability, and evolving standards of judicial deference to agency decisions and agency accountability.