Special Topics in Administrative Law will cover all of the foundational material that is typically included in Administrative Law and Advanced Administrative Law curricula. This course, however, uses traditional administrative law doctrine to explore many of the contemporary, ongoing, unresolved regulatory issues the nation now confronts. For instance, driverless cars, billionaire space travel, social media company rights and responsibilities, federal response to future pandemics, climate change models, and outdated flood maps, are just some of the many areas in which regulatory standards will have to be updated and amended moving forward. But how and by whom? We will dive deeply into these issues and many more.
To keep the subject matter of the course fresh, to stay abreast of the latest developments in administrative law, and to address student interests, a portion of the subject matter covered in this course will vary from year to year. Topics covered previously have included: Oversight and Independent Investigations; Presidential Power, Executive Orders, National Emergencies & States of Exception; Government Benefits and the Termination of Benefits; Access to Justice; Structural Reform; and Executive Privilege.
Through deep analyses of these Special Topics, students will gain a greater understanding of the laws and doctrines governing the administrative practices of federal government agencies and judicial review. The final paper in this course satisfies the Upper Division Writing Requirement.