Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ROSENBLOOM
like Administrative Law for Public Managers because it is EDITION
straightforward and easy to understand. I teach a wide range
of students—mid-level managers to students with no work
experience—both are relieved that the content and examples
are easily digestible. It’s an excellent book!”
—Lorenda Ann Naylor, University of Baltimore
“This book presents a profound, as well as comprehensive,
knowledge base of administrative law.”
The second edition includes more coverage of state administrative law, as well as an
expanded discussion of judicial review. It has also been updated to include the major
statutes, court cases, executive orders, and other major executive initiatives since 2003.
The addition of discussion questions makes this an even more valuable resource for public
administration classrooms and students.
Administrative Law
David H. Rosenbloom is Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at American
University. A major contributor to the field and a Fellow in the National Academy of Public
Administration, he has received numerous awards, including the Gaus Award for exemplary
scholarship in political science and public administration, the Waldo Award for outstanding
contributions to the literature and leadership of public administration, the Levine Award
DAVID H. ROSENBLOOM
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.westviewpress.com
Administrative Law for Public Managers
second edition
David H. Rosenbloom
American University
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KF5402.R669 2014
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vii
3 Administrative Rulemaking 63
Introduction: Smoking Whitefish, 63
Rulemaking: Definitions and General Concerns, 64
Rulemaking Processes, 71
Limited or No Procedural Requirements, 71
Informal Rulemaking, 72
Formal Rulemaking, 74
Hybrid and Negotiated Rulemaking Processes, 75
Hybrid Rulemaking, 75
Negotiated Rulemaking, 76
Additional Features of the Idealized Legislative Model for
Rulemaking, 78
Representation: Advisory Committees, 78
Protecting Specific Interests and Values, 79
Executive Efforts to Influence Federal Agency Rulemaking, 82
Conclusion: The Philosopher’s Stone Versus the Bubble Effect,
85
Additional Reading, 86
Discussion Questions, 86
5 Transparency 123
Introduction: The Central Intelligence Agency’s Budget? What
Budget? 123
The Administrative Law Framework for Transparent
Government, 125
Public Reporting, 126
Freedom of Information, 128
The Freedom of Information Act, 128
The Presidential Records Act, 138
Privacy, 139
Open Meetings, 142
Whistle-Blower Protection, 145
Qui Tam, 148
Conclusion: An Opaque Fishbowl? 148
References 195
Index 209
xiii
sixty insect fragments per hundred grams (about two bars) and one rodent
hair. On average, Americans eat 1.2 pounds of spider eggs and 2.5 pounds
of insect parts annually.1
The FDA is empowered to set such standards by law. It would have
no power to do so without statutory authorization. However, it does have
considerable discretion in deciding what levels are unavoidable and do not
pose health hazards and what to do about products that exceed the speci-
fied limits. An initial question is whether “unavoidable” should be deter-
mined based on technology or economics. Although the agency maintains
that some defects cannot be completely screened out, removing from pizza
sauce more fly eggs and maggots than are allowed is probably technolog-
ically feasible. Some producers may already do so. But is it economically
feasible for the entire industry of large and small, relatively financially
strong and weak firms to do so? Determining unavoidability also involves
economic feasibility, which is related to the cost of producing products,
their market price, and consumer demand for them. Some balance between
purity and cost must be struck. The FDA seeks a desirable trade-off by
testing products nationwide and determining the levels of defects present
under the best production processes in use. This approach assumes that
requiring investment to make the best practices even better is economically
infeasible, or at least undesirable, and ultimately unnecessary because,
while unappetizing, the acceptable levels are deemed safe to consume.
Safety is a second issue. Clearly, if people are not getting sick from the
allowable defect levels in regulated foods, then these product levels are
probably safe. Yet it is possible that the cumulative effect of the permit-
ted impurities over one’s lifetime takes a toll on health, even though the
harm may not be traceable to them. It is also possible that the defects af-
fect people differently based on age, allergies, and other factors. No doubt,
aside from looking at best production practices, the FDA takes the views
of health experts and research into account in considering where to set and
maintain defect levels.
A third issue is transparency. As a consumer you may wonder if the
FDA’s regulations provide adequate information and protection. We are
all familiar with the nutrition labels on food products sold in the United
States. Peanut butter lists calories, fat calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans
fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, vitamins A
and C, sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, sugars, protein, calcium, and
iron. The average number of insect fragments and rodent hairs is missing.
Delegation
Administrative law statutes regulate administrative procedures and the
review of agency actions. In the United States such statutes were adopted
the range of regulatory standards and related policy concerns is too broad
for legislatures to address. It takes the attention of numerous, specialized,
and frequently large agencies.
Third, legislators may find it politically advantageous to delegate leg-
islative authority to administrative agencies in order to avoid taking firm
stands on controversial issues. It is easier to maintain constituents’ favor
by supporting broad objectives that are widely shared, such as protecting
the environment, than by setting regulatory standards that will raise prices
or cause unemployment in one’s home district. Legislators may even score
points with voters by denouncing decisions made by the very agencies and
administrators that their legislation has empowered (Fiorina 1977, 48–49).
As necessary and convenient as delegations of legislative authority are,
they raise a number of political questions. Constitutionality is one. The
separation of powers at the federal level and in the states is intended to es-
tablish checks and balances as a means of protecting the people against the
aggregation of power in one branch of government. Parliamentary systems
fuse legislative and executive powers, but the framers of the US Constitu-
tion thought such a combination could produce tyranny. Following their
lead, Americans have preferred to keep these powers separate, though less
so at the local government level. Consequently, when legislative author-
ity is delegated to administrative agencies, even though voluntarily on the
part of legislatures, this can be seen as a threat to the constitutional order.
As the US Supreme Court once summarized the problem, “The Congress
is not permitted to abdicate or to transfer to others the essential legislative
functions with which it is . . . vested,” and there must be “limitations of
the authority to delegate, if our constitutional system is to be maintained”
(Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States 1935, 529–530). Yet modern govern-
ment requires at least some delegation. Large-scale administration would
be impossible without it.
At the federal level, the formal constitutional solution to the tension
between the separation of powers and the vesting of legislative author-
ity in administrative agencies requires delegations to be accompanied by
“an intelligible principle to which [an agency] . . . is directed to conform”
(J. W. Hampton, Jr. & Co. v. United States 1928, 409). In theory, this intelligible
principle doctrine ensures that Congress will clearly establish the broad
objectives of public policy, relying on the agencies, when necessary, only
to fill in the details. In practice, however, finding an intelligible principle
in some delegations may be impossible. For instance, the federal Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Act of 1970 provides that the secretary of labor, “in
promulgating standards dealing with toxic materials or harmful physical
agents . . . shall set the standard which most adequately assures, to the
extent feasible, on the basis of the best available evidence, that no employee
will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity even
if such employee has regular exposure to the hazard dealt with by such
standard for the period of his working life” (Industrial Union Department,
AFL-CIO v. American Petroleum Institute 1980, 612 [emphasis added]). With
obvious frustration, Justice William Rehnquist parsed this language in an
unsuccessful quest for an intelligible principle: “I believe that the legisla-
tive history demonstrates that the feasibility requirement . . . is a legislative
mirage, appearing to some Members [of Congress] but not to others, and
assuming any form desired by the beholder” (Industrial Union Department,
AFL-CIO v. American Petroleum Institute 1980, 681).
Rehnquist called the feasibility requirement “precatory,” meaning that
it essentially entreated the secretary of labor to take a balanced approach
(Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO v. American Petroleum Institute 1980,
682). Such “legislative mirages” are not unusual. Statutes are loaded with
key “standards,” such as “‘adequate,’ ‘advisable,’ ‘appropriate,’ ‘beneficial,’
‘convenient,’ ‘detrimental,’ ‘expedient,’ ‘equitable,’ ‘fair,’ ‘fit,’ ‘necessary,’
‘practicable,’ ‘proper,’ ‘reasonable,’ ‘reputable,’ ‘safe,’ ‘sufficient,’ ‘whole-
some,’ or their opposites” (Warren 1996, 370). The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) is charged with regulating communications by wire
and radio in the “public interest”—a term with no fixed meaning that can
accommodate any reasonable action (Office of the Federal Register 1999,
524). The greatest certainty regarding the meaning of the phrase “stationary
source” in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 is that such a source of
pollutants is not mobile. The EPA has interpreted these same words very
differently in different programs and at different times (Chevron U.S.A., Inc.
v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 1984; see Chapter 6).
Discretion
Delegations of legislative authority call on administrators to use discretion
in formulating standards and policies. The weaker the intelligible principle
in the statutory delegation, the greater the potential range of administra-
tive discretion. However, administrative discretion also goes well beyond
the rulemaking function. Agencies may exercise a great deal of it in imple-
menting or enforcing laws, rules, other regulations, and policies. They of-
ten lack the resources to do everything legally required of them. Universal
enforcement may be impossible or impracticable. It is an uncomfortable
fact that selective application of the law is often inevitable. Equally import-
ant, the legal acceptability of many matters is determined by the discretion
of “street-level” administrators, such as safety and health inspectors, or
Administrative Decisionmaking
The federal Administrative Procedure Act (APA) of 1946 is representative
of US administrative law statutes in trying to promote rationality and law-
fulness in agency decisionmaking without imposing overly encumbering
procedural requirements. It specifically seeks to prevent decisions that are
2. Citations to codified statutes in the text are to their section number in the United States Code
(U.S.C.). Rather than repeat the title number of the Code in which the statute is found in each
citation, this information is provided in the References section at the end of the book. The full
citation to this section of the APA is 5 U.S.C. 706.
Rejected—Ten States.
Mr. President:—You have been fully informed that the rebel army
is in the front, with the purpose of overwhelming us by attacking our
positions or reducing us by blocking our river communications. I
cannot but regard our condition as critical, and I earnestly desire, in
view of possible contingencies, to lay before your excellency, for your
private consideration, my general views concerning the existing state
of the rebellion, although they do not strictly relate to the situation of
this army, or strictly come within the scope of my official duties.
These views amount to convictions, and are deeply impressed upon
my mind and heart. Our cause must never be abandoned; it is the
cause of free institutions and self-government. The Constitution and
the Union must be preserved, whatever may be the cost in time,
treasure, and blood. If secession is successful, other dissolutions are
clearly to be seen in the future. Let neither military disaster, political
faction, nor foreign war shake your settled purpose to enforce the
equal operation of the laws of the United States upon the people of
every State.
The time has come when the government must determine upon a
civil and military policy, covering the whole ground of our national
trouble.
The responsibility of determining, declaring, and supporting such
civil and military policy, and of directing the whole course of national
affairs in regard to the rebellion, must now be assumed and exercised
by you, or our cause will be lost. The Constitution gives you power,
even for the present terrible exigency.
This rebellion has assumed the character of a war; as such it
should be regarded, and it should be conducted upon the highest
principles known to Christian civilization. It should not be a war
looking to the subjugation of the people of any State, in any event. It
should not be at all a war upon population, but against armed forces
and political organizations. Neither confiscation of property, political
executions of persons, territorial organization of States, or forcible
abolition of slavery, should be contemplated for a moment.
In prosecuting the war, all private property and unarmed persons
should be strictly protected, subject only to the necessity of military
operations; all private property taken for military use should be paid
or receipted for; pillage and waste should be treated as high crimes;
all unnecessary trespass sternly prohibited, and offensive demeanor
by the military towards citizens promptly rebuked. Military arrests
should not be tolerated, except in places where active hostilities
exist; and oaths, not required by enactments, constitutionally made,
should be neither demanded nor received.
Military government should be confined to the preservation of
public order and the protection of political right. Military power
should not be allowed to interfere with the relations of servitude,
either by supporting or impairing the authority of the master, except
for repressing disorder, as in other cases. Slaves, contraband under
the act of Congress, seeking military protection, should receive it.
The right of the government to appropriate permanently to its own
service claims to slave labor should be asserted, and the right of the
owner to compensation therefor should be recognized. This principle
might be extended, upon grounds of military necessity and security,
to all the slaves of a particular State, thus working manumission in
such State; and in Missouri, perhaps in Western Virginia also, and
possibly even in Maryland, the expediency of such a measure is only
a question of time. A system of policy thus constitutional, and
pervaded by the influences of Christianity and freedom, would
receive the support of almost all truly loyal men, would deeply
impress the rebel masses and all foreign nations, and it might be
humbly hoped that it would commend itself to the favor of the
Almighty.
Unless the principles governing the future conduct of our struggle
shall be made known and approved, the effort to obtain requisite
forces will be almost hopeless. A declaration of radical views,
especially upon slavery, will rapidly disintegrate our present armies.
The policy of the government must be supported by concentrations
of military power. The national forces should not be dispersed in
expeditions, posts of occupation, and numerous armies, but should
be mainly collected into masses, and brought to bear upon the
armies of the Confederate States. Those armies thoroughly defeated,
the political structure which they support would soon cease to exist.
In carrying out any system of policy which you may form, you will
require a commander-in-chief of the army, one who possesses your
confidence, understands your views, and who is competent to
execute your orders by directing the military forces of the nation to
the accomplishment of the objects by you proposed. I do not ask that
place for myself. I am willing to serve you in such position as you
may assign me, and I will do so as faithfully as ever subordinate
served superior.
I may be on the brink of eternity; and as I hope forgiveness from
my Maker, I have written this letter with sincerity towards you and
from love for my country.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
George B. McClellan,
Major-General Commanding.
George B. McClellan.
These were passed by all of the eleven States in the rebellion. The
codes varied in severity, according to the views of the Legislatures,
and for a time they seriously interfered with the recognition of the
States, the Republicans charging that the design was to restore
slavery under new forms. In South Carolina Gen’l Sickles issued
military orders, as late as January 17, 1866, against the enforcement
of such laws.
To assure the rights, of the freedmen the 14th amendment of the
Constitution was passed by Congress, June 18th, 1866. President
Johnson opposed it, refused to sign, but said he would submit it to
the several States. This was done, and it was accepted by the required
three-fourths, January 28th, 1868. This had the effect to do away
with many of the “black codes,” and the States which desired
readmission to the Union had to finally give them up. Since
reconstruction, and the political ousting of what were called the
“carpet-bag governments,” some of the States, notably Georgia, has
passed class laws, which treat colored criminals differently from
white, under what are now known as the “conduct laws.” Terms of
sentence are served out, in any part of the State, under the control of
public and private contractors, and “vagrants” are subjected to
sentences which it is believed would be less extended under a system
of confinement.
Johnson’s Policy.
[33]
The events which led to the impeachment of President Johnson,
may be briefly stated as follows: On the 21st of February, 1868, the
President issued an order to Mr. Stanton, removing him from office
as Secretary of War, and another to General Lorenzo Thomas,
Adjutant-General of the Army, appointing him Secretary of War ad
interim, directing the one to surrender and the other to receive, all
the books, papers, and public property belonging to the War
Department. As these orders fill an important place in the history of
the impeachment, we give them here. The order to Mr. Stanton
reads:
“By virtue of the power and authority vested in me as President by
the Constitution and laws of the United States, you are hereby
removed from office as Secretary for the Department of War, and
your functions as such will terminate upon the receipt of this
communication. You will transfer to Brevet Major-General Lorenzo
Thomas, Adjutant-General of the Army, who has this day been
authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad interim, all
records, books, papers, and other public property now in your
custody and charge.”
The order to General Thomas reads:
“The Hon. Edwin M. Stanton having been this day removed from
office as Secretary for the Department of War, you are hereby
authorized and empowered to act as Secretary of War ad interim,
and will immediately enter upon the discharge of the duties
pertaining to that office. Mr. Stanton has been instructed to transfer
to you all the records, books, and other public property now in his
custody and charge.”
These orders having been officially communicated to the Senate,
that body, after an earnest debate, passed the following resolution:
“Resolved, by the Senate of the United States, That under the
Constitution and laws of the United States the President has no
power to remove the Secretary of War and designate any other
officer to perform the duties of that office.”
The President, upon the 24th, sent a message to the Senate,
arguing at length that not only under the Constitution, but also
under the laws as now existing, he had the right of removing Mr.
Stanton and appointing another to fill his place. The point of his
argument is: That by a special proviso in the Tenure-of-Office Bill the
various Secretaries of Departments “shall hold their offices
respectively for and during the term of the President by whom they
may have been appointed, and for one month thereafter, subject to
removal by and with the advice of the Senate.” The President affirms
that Mr. Stanton was appointed not by him, but by his predecessor,
Mr. Lincoln, and held office only by the sufferance, not the
appointment, of the present Executive; and that therefore his tenure
is, by the express reading of the law excepted from the general
provision, that every person duly appointed to office, “by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate,” etc., shall be “entitled to hold
office until a successor shall have been in like manner appointed and
duly qualified, except as herein otherwise provided.” The essential
point of the President’s argument, therefore, is that, as Mr. Stanton
was not appointed by him, he had, under the Tenure-of-Office Bill,
the right at any time to remove him; the same right which his own
successor would have, no matter whether the incumbent had, by
sufferance, not by appointment of the existing Executive, held the
office for weeks or even years. “If,” says the President, “my successor
would have the power to remove Mr. Stanton, after permitting him
to remain a period of two weeks, because he was not appointed by
him, I who have tolerated Mr. Stanton for more than two years,
certainly have the same right to remove him, upon the same ground,
namely that he was not appointed by me but by my predecessor.”
In the meantime General Thomas presented himself at the War
Department and demanded to be placed in the position to which he
had been assigned by the President. Mr. Stanton refused to
surrender his post, and ordered General Thomas to proceed to the
apartment which belonged to him as Adjutant-General. This order
was not obeyed, and so the two claimants to the Secretaryship of War
held their ground. A sort of legal by-play then ensued. Mr. Stanton
entered a formal complaint before Judge Carter, Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, charging that General
Thomas had illegally exercised and attempted to exercise the duties
of Secretary of War; and had threatened to “forcibly remove the
complainant from the buildings and apartments of the Secretary of
War in the War Department, and forcibly take possession and
control thereof under his pretended appointment by the President of
the United States as Secretary of War ad interim;” and praying that
he might be arrested and held to answer this charge. General
Thomas was accordingly arrested, and held to bail in the sum of
$15,000 to appear before the court on the 24th. Appearing on that
day he was discharged from custody and bail; whereupon he entered
an action against Mr. Stanton for false imprisonment, laying his
damages at $150,000.
On the 22d of February the House Committee on Reconstruction,
through its Chairman, Mr. Stevens, presented a brief report, merely
stating the fact of the attempted removal by the President of Mr.
Stanton, and closing as follows:
“Upon the evidence collected by the Committee, which is hereafter
presented, and in virtue of the powers with which they have been
invested by the House, they are of the opinion that Andrew Johnson,
President of the United States, should be impeached of high crimes
and misdemeanors. They, therefore, recommend to the House the
adoption of the following resolution:
“Resolved, That Andrew Johnson, President of the United States
be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
After earnest debate, the question on the resolution was adopted,
on the 24th, by a vote of 126 to 47. A committee of two members—
Stevens and Bingham—were to notify the Senate of the action of the
House; and another committee of seven—Boutwell, Stevens,
Bingham, Wilson, Logan, Julian, and Ward—to prepare the articles
of impeachment. On the 25th (February) Mr. Stevens thus
announced to the Senate the action which had been taken by the
House:
“In obedience to the order of the House of Representatives we
have appeared before you, and in the name of the House of
Representatives and of all the people of the United States, we do
impeach Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, of high
crimes and misdemeanors in office. And we further inform the
Senate that the House of Representatives will in due time exhibit
particular articles of impeachment against him, to make good the
same; and in their name we demand that the Senate take due order
for the appearance of the said Andrew Johnson to answer to the said
impeachment.”
The Senate thereupon, by a unanimous vote, resolved that this
message from the House should be referred to a select Committee of
Seven, to be appointed by the chair, to consider the same and report
thereon. The Committee subsequently made a report laying down the
rules of procedure to be observed on the trial.
On the 29th of February the Committee of the House appointed for
that purpose presented the articles of impeachment which they had
drawn up. These, with slight modification, were accepted on the 2d
of March. They comprise nine articles, eight of which are based upon
the action of the President in ordering the removal of Mr. Stanton,
and the appointment of General Thomas as Secretary of War. The
general title to the impeachment is:
“Articles exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United
States, in the name of themselves and all the people of the United
States, against Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, as
maintenance and support of their impeachment against him for high
crimes and misdemeanors in office.”
Each of the articles commences with a preamble to the effect that
the President, “unmindful of the high duties of his office, of his oath
of office, and of the requirements of the Constitution that he should
take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully and in
violation of the laws and Constitution of the United States, perform
the several acts specified in the articles respectively;” closing with the
declaration: “Whereby the said Andrew Johnson, President of the
United States, did then and there commit and was guilty of a high
misdemeanor in office.” The phraseology is somewhat varied. In
some cases the offense is designated as a “misdemeanor,” in others
as a “crime.” The whole closes thus:
“And the House of Representatives, by protestation, saving to
themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter any further
articles or other accusation or impeachment against the said Andrew
Johnson, President of the United States, and also of replying to his
answers which he shall make to the articles herein preferred against
him, and of offering proof to the same and every part thereof, and to
all and every other article, accusation, or impeachment which shall
be exhibited by them as the case shall require, do demand that the
said Andrew Johnson may be put to answer the high crimes and
misdemeanors in office herein charged against him, and that such
proceedings, examinations, trials, and judgments may be thereupon
had and given as may be agreeable to law and justice.”
The following is a summary in brief of the points in the articles of
impeachment, legal and technical phraseology being omitted:
Article 1. Unlawfully ordering the removal of Mr. Stanton as
Secretary of War, in violation of the provisions of the Tenure-of-
Office Act.—Article 2. Unlawfully appointing General Lorenzo
Thomas as Secretary of War ad interim.—Article 3 is substantially
the same as Article 2, with the addition that there was at the time of
the appointment of General Thomas no vacancy in the office of
Secretary of War.—Article 4 charges the President with “conspiring
with one Lorenzo Thomas and other persons, to the House of
Representatives unknown,” to prevent, by intimidation and threats,
Mr. Stanton, the legally-appointed Secretary of War, from holding
that office.—Article 5 charges the President with conspiring with
General Thomas and others to hinder the execution of the Tenure-of-
Office Act; and, in pursuance of this conspiracy, attempting to
prevent Mr. Stanton from acting as Secretary of War.—Article 6
charges that the President conspired with General Thomas and
others to take forcible possession of the War Department.—Article 7
repeats the charge, in other terms, that the President conspired with
General Thomas and others to hinder the execution of the Tenure-of-
Office Act, and to prevent Mr. Stanton from executing the office of
Secretary of War.—Article 8 again charges the President with
conspiring with General Thomas and others to take possession of the
property in the War Department.—Article 9 charges that the
President called before him General Emory, who was in command of
the forces in the Department of Washington, and declared to him
that a law, passed on the 30th of June, 1867, directing that “all
orders and instructions relating to military operations, issued by the
President or Secretary of War, shall be issued through the General of