This Guide is intended help locate primary and secondary resources on Administrative Law in the Detroit Mercy Law Library physical and electronic collections. The top level of this guide is devoted to basic introductory information on Administrative Law at Detroit Mercy. Subsequent pages will examine specific aspects of the Administrative research landscape as identified in the tabs above.
"Administrative Law" is a blanket term used to describe the primary law produced by the Executive Branch of State or Federal Government. It is comprised of several different categories of document: foremost, Regulations are the rules set forth and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations that set forth how agencies will exercise their enforcement powers over a given concern, somewhat similar to statutes. Administrative Court Decisions report the holdings of courts seated within an agency to resolve disputes arising under their jurisdiction, often presaging new regulations before they are committed to publication. Finally, Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations outline broad directives from the President (or Governor) on how the Executive bureaucracy they head ought to conduct their duties.
Broadly speaking, the regulatory bureaucracy of the Executive Branch - from which Administrative Law is downstream - gets its authority from provisions in statutes passed by the Legislative Branch. Legislators are not experts on all matters they are called upon to pass laws for, so they delegate some authority to fill in specific details on enforcement or make determinations in narrow questions of what constitutes compliance with the law. Executive agencies, staffed with professionals and experts, are well-positioned to make these determinations.
LAW 3020 Administrative Law
Credit Hours: 2 OR 3
The study of the administrative law process, concentrating on the functions and procedures of administrative agencies and judicial review of agency actions. Specific topics include the constitutional status of administrative agencies, statutory, judicial and political control of agencies, agency procedures including rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudication, and the right to and scope of judicial review.