Access to Judicial Review

Part II

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Informational Injury

What is the injury if the agency fails to provide a document that the law makes available under FOIA?

What if the agency fails to collect required information that would be available to the public?

Would a member of the public have standing to contest this?

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Example - FEC Classification Decision

FEC does not classify an organization as one that must make public reports of its finances

Does a plaintiff who wants info on the group have standing to contest the classification?

What is FEC's argument against standing? How did the Court use the purpose for collecting the

information to support the plaintiff's standing claim? What is your argument if the required information is not

reported to the public?

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Procedural Violations and Causation:Agency Fails to get an EIS for a Dam

What is the causation problem? What is the harmless error doctrine from civil procedure? Do you have to show that that they gotten the EIS, that

the dam would not have been built? What is the correct showing? What would the agency have to argue to rebut the

standing claim? Why should this be a problem for the agency?

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Can you get standing because of the effect of an action on a third party?

Simon v. Eastern Ky. Welfare Rights Organization, 426 U.S. 26 (1976) Group challenged the tax exemption for a hospital,

saying it did not deliver charity care Would denying the exemption increase charity care? What would they need to show?

What if this was an order from HHS to comply EMTALA, which requires emergency care be provided without regard to the patient's ability to pay?

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Redressability

You have to be able to show that the remedy you seek from the court would address your problem Like Simon

If you have stated a concrete action for injury, you probably have also met this standard The problem is if the agency does not have the

power to do what you want

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Procedural Violations and Redressability

Assume you have stated a real injury in a procedural violation case Is there still a redressablity problem because the

plaintiff cannot show that fixing the violation would result in a favorable result?

In Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, the Court said, “[t]he person who has been accorded a procedural right to protect his concrete interests can assert that right without meeting all the normal standards for redressability and immediacy."

Do you still have to show a theoretical chance of a change in agency action if the procedure is fixed?

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Representational Standing

When can associations bring actions on behalf of their members? At least one member must have standing It must fit the organization mission The remedy must not require the participation

of individual plaintiffs Why is this important for environmental and

poverty action groups?

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Injunctions and Declaratory Relief

If one plaintiff has standing, the action can go forward, even if others do not.

Why is this different from a damage action with several plaintiffs?

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Prudential Standing

This is an umbrella over several different theories created by judges

The unifying theme is that these are designed to limit the number of persons who can bring a claim when the constitutional standing requirements are vague or overbroad

Since this a court created doctrine and not a constitutional doctrine, the legislature can override it.

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Problems with Generalized Standing

If an injury is suffered by a very large group of people, it may be better addressed by legislative action This is related to the political question doctrine

Why might it better for the claims related to Katrina to be decided by legislation, rather than the courts?

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Zone of Interests

Are the plaintiff's interests protected by the statute?

This is a court created doctrine to ensure that claims made under a statute actually advance the purpose of the statute, including the intended beneficiaries Similar to the test in torts for negligence per se

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Air Courier Conference of America v. American Postal Workers Union, 498 U.S. 517 (1991)

Do postal workers have a right to challenge changes in the rules giving a monopoly on 1st class mail?

What was the purpose of the law? Were there any postal worker unions when the

law was passed?

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Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154 (1997)

Ranchers want to contest rules under the Endangered Species Act limiting the release of water from dams What is their interest? Does the ESA protect ranching?

Why were they able to use the provision that the agency rely on the best data? Does their claim improve the application of the ESA? How does their case depend on the welfare of the

suckers?

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Association of Data Processing Service Organizations, Inc. v. Camp, 397 U.S. 150 (1970)

Just to keep things confused, in this case the court allowed competitors of banks to contest rule changes that would have let banks do data processing The intent of the law was to protect banks from bad

business decisions, not to protect competitors The court found that the plaintiffs challenge to the law

would further its purpose - limit the conflicts for banks - even if they were not the intended beneficiaries

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Hazardous Waste Treatment Council v. Thomas, 885 F.2d 918 (D.C. Cir. 1989)

Trade group represents providers of advanced waste treatment services

EPA adopts rule requiring less complete treatment of waste Why does plaintiff want to contest the rule?

What is the purpose of the rule (remember CBA)? Did the court find plaintiff in the zone of interest?

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Honeywell International, Inc. v. EPA, 374 F.3d 1363 (D.C. Cir. 2004)

Plaintiff contests the EPA allowing a product made by a competitor to be substituted for a CFC.

What is plaintiff's interest? How is plaintiff's interest different from plaintiff in trade

group case? What is the plaintiff's argument for why the

environment is harmed by the substitution? Why does the specificity of the standard help

plaintiff's case, compared to the trade group case?

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Example: Internet Book Stores

IRS allows non-profit college book stores to operate on the Internet

Other Internet books stores object What is the analysis?

What is the purpose of the exception and the underlying law?

How might the analysis shift if Amazon is the plaintiff and does not pay sales taxes itself?

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Is There an Agency Action to Contest?

Section 702 of the APA allows claims if someone is harmed by an agency action

551 defines agency action: 'agency action' includes the whole or a part of an

agency rule, order, license, sanction, relief, or the equivalent or denial thereof, or failure to act;

This makes it hard to force an agency to do something that is not specifically required by statute or regulation.

For example, general claims that the BLM is not protecting the environment do not work

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Statutory Preclusion of Judicial Review

Congress has the power to limit judicial review of agency actions

What if Congress is silent on the availability of judicial review in a particular statute?

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Abbott Laboratories v. Gardner, 387 U.S. 136 (1967)

This was a dispute over the authority of the FDA to require certain labeling changes on prescription drugs, The plaintiffs claimed that the FDA exceeded its

statutory authority FDA said that this was not reviewable because the

enabling act provided for specific review and this was not included

The Court found that judicial review is favored, and that it would not hold it precluded unless the congressional intent was clear.

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Block v. Community Nutrition Institute, 467 U.S. 340 (1984)

Clarified Abbott's policy on reviewability Consumers wanted to challenge rules under

the milk price support law, which was intended to protect milk producers

The court found that Congress had specified who could appeal these orders and how

Coupled with the purpose of the act, this was enough to show intent to prevent consumer claims

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Complete Preclusion: Smallpox Emergency Personnel Protection Act 2003

(2) JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW- No court of the United States, or of any State, District, territory or possession thereof, shall have subject matter jurisdiction to review, whether by mandamus or otherwise, any action by the Secretary under this section. No officer or employee of the United States shall review any action by the Secretary under this section (unless the President specifically directs otherwise)

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When Is Review Appropriate?(Prelude to the later ripeness discussion)

Should the plaintiff be able to get review of an agency regulation before the agency takes enforcement action?

What is a facial review of a statute? What are the problems with a facial review? How are these similar to the problems of pre-

enforcement review? Why does the agency prefer post-enforcement review?

What happens with compliance? What if the penalties are so Draconian that no one will

risk enforcement?

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Committed To Agency Discretion By Law

5 U.S.C. § 701(a)(2) (a) This chapter applies, according to the provisions

thereof, except to the extent that - (2) agency action is committed to agency discretion by

law. This is related to the political question doctrine

The courts recognize that agencies are charged with making policy under the direction of the legislature and the executive branches

The proper review of a policy choice is through the ballot box

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Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 (1971)

Congress said no federal money to build roads in parks if there was a "feasible and prudent" alternative The Secretary authorizes a road in a park and tells

plaintiffs that it is within his discretion and cannot be reviewed by the courts

Does the Court have a standard to review this decision, or is it a pure policy choice?

The court found that "feasible and prudent" provided adequate law to guide judicial review Committed to agency discretion was held to be very

narrow, unless specified by statute

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Heckler v. Chaney, 470 U.S. 821 (1985) - Lethal Injection Case

The FDA Act directs the agency to require that drugs be approved for specific uses before they can be sold in interstate commerce The agency does not police the use of drugs

for unapproved purposes, once they are approved for at least one use

The court rejected a challenge to this, say this was classic prosecutorial discretion, which an agency did not have to justify

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American Horse Protection Assn., Inc. v. Lyng, 812 F.2d 1 (D.C. Cir. 1987)

Can you get to court to require an agency to make or modify a rule, in the absence of a congressional mandate to make the rule?

The APA requires that an agency respond to a request to make or modify a rule

The court found that this response, or lack of one, was reviewable The court may allow review, but it almost always

defers to the agency Remember this for Mass. EPA

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Webster v. Doe, 486 U.S. 592 (1988)

National Security Act allows CIA employees to be fired without due process or judicial review Court says this is within congressional power,

especially for national security Court says that the plaintiff's constitutional law

claim can be reviewed because no agency is above the constitution

Dissents say this makes no sense because it undermines the agency discretion

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Lincoln v. Vigil, 508 U.S. 182 (1993)

Indian health service has the discretion to decide how to spend certain funds

Court says this cannot be reviewed, it is a classic policy choice

However, whether the policy has to be announced through notice and comment versus a simple policy statement, is reviewable The procedure may be reviewable, even if the

policy is not

Final Agency Action

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Is there a Final Agency Action?

Same principles as the rules on appealing orders by trial judges

Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154, 177-178 (1997) It must be the consummation of the agency

process It must affect legal rights or have legal

consequences

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Federal Trade Commn. v. Standard Oil Co. of California, 449 U.S. 232 (1980)

FTC finds that Standard Oil is engaging in anticompetitive practices

Standard wants to appeal this Can be used in private antitrust actions

Court says this alone does not have legal consequences Standard must wait until the agency brings an

enforcement action

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National Automatic Laundry and Cleaning Council v. Shultz, 443 F.2d 689 (D.C. Cir. 1971)

Agency opinion letters This was to an association explaining how the

agency would interpret a new law Detailed explanation From the secretary's office

In this case, the court found that the opinion was sufficiently specific and from a high enough level to affect the plaintiff's rights

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Taylor-Callahan-Coleman Counties Dist. Adult Probation Dept. v. Dole, 948 F.2d 953 (5th Cir. 1991)

The opinion was to an individual party, based on that party's specific facts - like an IRS letter ruling

The plaintiff was a third party who wanted to challenge the opinion as it would be applied to others

The court found that this was not a final agency action, at least as to other parties

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Franklin v. Massachusetts, 505 U.S. 788 (1992)

MA wants to contest the method the Department of Commerce used to correct the census numbers Why does this matter?

The President is charged with determining the final count, and Congress does the reallocation of representatives

The court found that the report from Commerce was only a recommendation to the President

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Western Ill. Home Health Care, Inc. v. Herman, 150 F.3d 659 (7th Cir. 1998)

This was an opinion letter to two specific parties about whether they were subject to the joint employer doctrine

The letter said they were, and that they were now on notice so they would be subject to the penalties for a willful violation

The court found this was a final agency action This was influenced by the harsh results

Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies

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Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies

This is another timing issue Does the plaintiff have to go through the agency

process before going to court? Does the plaintiff have to present the same issues

to the agency as will be challenged later in court? How does Wooley affect this in LA?

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APA - 5 U.S.C. § 704

. . . Except as otherwise expressly required by statute, agency action otherwise final is final for purposes of this section whether or not there has been presented or determined an application for a declaratory order, for any form of reconsideration, or, unless the agency otherwise requires by rule and provides that the action meanwhile is inoperative, for an appeal to superior agency authority.

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Is Exhaustion Required by Statute or Regulation?

The key question is whether the enabling act or an agency regulation requires exhaustion If exhaustion is not required, then the party

may go to court directly However, if there is an agency process

available, and you lose in court, you may have waived your agency appeal

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Exceptions to Exhaustion

Will requiring exhaustion prevent the court from properly reviewing the action? Has the enforcement been stayed? Will the plaintiff suffer irreparable harm?

Can the agency process provide the requested relief?

Is the agency so biased or prejudiced that it cannot give a fair review?

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Example: HUD Regulations

HUD regulations allow, but do not require that an administrative appeal be filed

The granting of the appeal is discretionary with the secretary

The ruling of the ALJ becomes final in 30 days and is not stayed by a request for a hearing

Must a litigant request an administrative appeal before going to court?

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Portela-Gonzalez v. Secretary of the Navy, 109 F.3d 74 (1st Cir. 1997)

Plaintiff is fired from a civilian Navy job Plaintiff appeals through 3 levels, but skips last level. Firing is in force during appeal Why does it matter whether the APA applies?

Just knowing that you are going to lose through the agency process is not enough You have to show that the agency is biased or

prejudiced (which is nearly impossible)

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Administrative Issue Exhaustion

Sims v. Apfel, 530 U.S. 103 (2000) Social Security disability benefits

The court held that the general rule is that plaintiffs who are subject to exhaustion of remedies must also present the issues they want to appeal to the agency

In the specific case, the court found that the special nature of SS mitigated against preclusion Informal, and applicants seldom have counsel