Legislation & Regulation – Fall 2009
Professor Stephenson
Course Description: This course is an introduction to lawmaking in the modern
administrative state. It will examine the way Congress and administrative agencies adopt
binding rules of law (statutes and regulations, respectively) and the way that
implementing institutions – courts and administrative agencies – interpret and apply these
laws. The course will consider the justifications for modern regulation, the structure of
the modern administrative state, the incentives that influence the behavior of the various
actors, and the legal rules that help to structure the relationships among Congress, the
agencies, and the courts.
Syllabus
Part I: Legislation
A. The Legislative Process and Theories of Interpretation
Thurs., Sept. 3rd – Introduction to Statutory Interpretation
Vol. I: pp. 2-3, 19-28, and 199-214 (United States v. Marshall)
Fri., Sept. 4th – Text and Purpose
Vol. I: pp. 28-48 (Riggs v. Palmer, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States)
Wed., Sept. 9th – Text and Purpose, cont’d
Vol. I: pp. 83-95 (United States v. Kirby, Public Citizen v. Department of Justice,
through end of note 2) and 48-65 (West Virginia University Hospitals v.
Casey)
Thurs., Sept. 10th – Ordinary Meaning, Special Meaning, and Context
Vol. I: pp. 108-112 (Nix v. Hedden), 191-195 (Corning Glass Works v. Brennan),
198-199 (notes 3 & 4 on Corning), and 123-136 (Smith v. United States)
Fri., Sept 11th – The Legislative Process and Legislative History
Vol. I: pp. 136-138 and 151-174 (Blanchard v. Bergeron, Continental Can Co. v.
Chicago Truck Drivers, through end of note 3).
1
Wed., Sept. 16th – The Legislative Process and Legislative History, cont’d
Vol. I: pp. 174-191 (remaining notes on Blanchard and Continental Can, Exxon
Mobil v. Allapattah Services), re-skim 191-195 (Corning Glass), 195-198
(notes 1 & 2 on Corning)
B. Canons of Construction
Thurs., Sept. 17th – Semantic Canons
Vol. I: pp. 216-221 (McBoyle v. United States) and 235-252 (Gustafson v. Alloyd)
Fri., Sept. 18th – Semantic Canons, cont’d
Vol. I: pp. 221-228 (Silvers v. Sony Pictures) and 252-269 (People v. Smith,
Circuit City Stores v. Adams)
Wed., Sept. 23rd – Substantive Canons: Avoiding Constitutional Questions
Vol. I: pp. 269-289 (NLRB v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago)
Thurs., Sept. 24th – Substantive Canons: State Sovereignty
Vol. I: pp. 289-314 (Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon, Gregory v. Ashcroft)
Fri., Sept. 25th – Substantive Canons: Preemption of State Law
Vol. I: pp. 314-334 (Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator, Cippollone v. Liggett Group)
Wed., Sept. 30th – Scope and Application of Substantive Canons
Vol. I: pp. 345-366 (Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Lines)
Part II: Regulation
A. The Constitutional Position of Administrative Agencies
Thurs., Oct. 1st – The Administrative State and the Delegation Problem
Vol. II: pp. 3-5, 24-38 (J.W. Hampton, Jr. Co. v. United States) and 53-64 (notes
3 & 4 after Schechter Poultry, Whitman v. American Trucking Ass’ns, Inc.)
Fri., Oct. 2nd – The Administrative State and the Delegation Problem, cont’d
Vol. II: pp. 64-96 (Industrial Union Department, AFL-CIO v. American
Petroleum Institute)
2
Wed., Oct. 7th – Congressional Control of Agencies: The Legislative Veto
Vol. II: pp. 96-113 (INS v. Chadha) and 125-127
Thurs., Oct. 8th – Appointment and Removal of Agency Officials
Vol. II: pp. 128-129 and 138-174 (note 2 after Buckley v. Valeo, Myers v. United
States, Humphrey’s Executor v. United States)
Fri., Oct. 9th – Appointment and Removal of Agency Officials, cont’d
Vol. II: pp. 174-203 (Morrison v. Olson)
Wed., Oct. 14th – Presidential Oversight of the Administration
Vol. II: pp. 203-236
B. The Administrative Rulemaking Process
Thurs., Oct. 15th – The Administrative Procedure Act and the Forms of Agency Action
Vol. III: pp. 3-28 (United States v. Florida East Coast Railway)
Fri., Oct. 16th – Notice & Comment Rulemaking
Vol. III: pp. 28-29, 49-64 (Chocolate Manufacturers Ass’n v. Block)
Wed., Oct. 21st – Notice & Comment Rulemaking, cont’d
Vol. III: pp. 29-49 (United States v. Nova Scotia Food Products Corp.)
Thurs., Oct. 22nd – Alternatives to Notice & Comment Rulemaking: Adjudication
Vol. III: pp. 64-93 (SEC v. Chenery Corp., Bell Aerospace v. NLRB, NLRB v. Bell
Aerospace)
Fri., Oct. 23rd – Alternatives to Notice & Comment Rulemaking: Guidance Documents
Vol. III: pp. 93-116 (PG&E v. FPC, Chamber of Commerce v. Dep’t of Labor)
Wed., Oct 28th – Alternatives to Notice & Comment Rulemaking: Interpretive Rules
Vol. III: pp. 116-136 (AMC v. MSHA, Hoctor v. Dep’t of Agriculture)
3
C. Judicial Review of Agency Action
Thurs., Oct. 29th – Introduction to Judicial Review of Agency Decisions
Vol. III: pp. 136-159 (Ethyl Corp. v. EPA)
Fri., Oct. 30th – Judicial (Non-)Regulation of Agency Procedures
Vol. III: pp. 159-175 (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC)
Wed., Nov. 4th – “Hard Look” Review
Vol. III: pp. 175-209 (Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Ass’n v. State Farm)
Part III: Legal Interpretation in the Administrative State
Thurs., Nov. 5th – Judicial Review of Agency Statutory Interpretation: Early Cases
Vol. IV: pp. 3-26 (NLRB v. Hearst, Packard v. NLRB, Skidmore v. Swift & Co.)
Fri., Nov. 6th – Judicial Review of Agency Statutory Interpretation: Modern Framework
Vol. IV: pp. 26-44 (Chevron v. NLRB)
[No class on Wed., Nov. 11th]
Thurs., Nov. 12th – Deference and Textual Interpretation: Finding Ambiguity
Vol. IV: pp. 44-65 (MCI v. AT&T)
Fri., Nov. 13th – Deference, Semantic Canons and Terms of Art
Vol. IV: pp. 65-79 (Babbitt v. Sweet Home) and 104-106 (legislative history note)
Wed., Nov. 18th – Deference and Structural/Purposive Interpretation
Vol. IV: pp. 79-104 (FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.)
Thurs., Nov. 19th – Deference and Substantive Canons
Vol. IV: pp. 106-127 (DeBartolo v. Fla. Gulf Coast Building & Trades, Rust v.
Sullivan, SWANCC v. Army Corps of Engineers)
4
Fri., Nov. 20th – Deference and Substantive Canons, cont’d
Vol. IV: pp. 127-153 (Medtronic v. Lohr, Smiley v. Citibank, Massachusetts v.
DOT, Brannan v. United Student Aid Funds)
[No class on Wed., Nov. 25th]
Tues., Dec. 1st – Limits on Chevron’s Domain
Vol. IV: pp. 153-179 (United States v. Mead Corp.)
Wed., Dec. 2nd – Flex class/review
5