Legislation and Regulation

The contemporary American legal system is largely statutory and regulatory: legislatures and administrative agencies adopt most of the law that governs behavior, both public and private, both individual and corporate. This course provides an introduction to the federal regulatory state, considering the ways in which laws are made by Congress and administrative agencies and the interpretation of these laws. In particular, the course will explore the legislative process and statutory interpretation; the structure and constitutional position of administrative agencies; the basic forms of agency action, with a focus on rulemaking; and judicial review of agency action.