Law Commons^™

What Congress's Repeal Efforts Can Teach Us About Regulatory Reform, Cary Coglianese, Gabriel Scheffler

All Faculty Scholarship

Major legislative actions during the early part of the 115th Congress have undermined the central argument for regulatory reform measures such as the REINS Act, a bill that would require congressional approval of all new major regulations. Proponents of the REINS Act argue that it would make the federal regulatory system more democratic by shifting responsibility for regulatory decisions away from unelected bureaucrats and toward the people’s representatives in Congress. But separate legislative actions in the opening of the 115th Congress only call this argument into question. Congress’s most significant initiatives during this period — its derailed attempts to repeal …

Dep’T Of Health & Human Serv.’S V. Samantha Inc., 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 100 (Dec. 14, 2017), Sara Schreiber

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

Under the Nevada Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the right to petition for judicial review is limited to contested cases. When Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) denies an applicant a registration certificate to operate a medical marijuana dispensary, it is not a contested case under the APA. Since it is not a contested case, the applicant cannot petition the court for judicial review.

Plenary Power In The Modern Administrative State, Catherine Y. Kim

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Appeal No. 0941: Duck Creek Energy, Inc. V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources Management, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2016-452 (Temporary Authorization; Mogadore Facility)

Prompting Deliberation About Nanotechnology: Information, Instruction, And Discussion Effects On Individual Engagement And Knowledge, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Myiah J. Hutchens, Peter Muhlberger, Alan Tomkins

Lisa PytlikZillig Publications

Deliberative (and educational) theories typically predict knowledge gains will be enhanced by information structure and discussion. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated key features of deliberative public engagement (information, instructions, and discussion) and measured impacts on cognitive-affective engagement and knowledge about nanotechnology. We also examined the direct and moderating impacts of individual differences in need for cognition and gender. Findings indicated little impact of information (organized by topic or by pro-con relevance). Instructions (prompts to think critically) decreased engagement in Study 1, and increased it in Study 2, but did not impact postknowledge. Group discussion had strong positive benefits for …

Evaluating Climate Change Adaptation Mechanisms In Fisheries Management Laws And Regulations, Marine Affairs Institute, Roger Williams University School Of Law, Logan Pearce, Joseph Bingaman

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Enforcement In Immigration Law, Amanda Frost

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

ABSTRACT: Immigration officials take two approaches to unauthorized immigrants: Either they seek to deport them, or they exercise prosecutorial discretion, allowing certain categories of unauthorized immigrants to remain in the United States without legal status. Neither method is working. The executive lacks the resources to remove more than a small percentage of the unauthorized population each year, and prosecutorial discretion is by definition an impermanent solution that leaves unauthorized immigrants vulnerable to exploitation at both work and home - harming not just them, but also the legal immigrants and U.S. citizens with whom they live and work.This Article: suggests a …

How Laws Are Made: The Administrative Agencies, Sharon Bradley

Presentations

Law, as defined in Black’s Law Dictionary, is “a body of rules of action or conduct prescribed by controlling authority and having binding legal force.” Our laws come from our three branches of Government: legislative, executive, and judicial. These webinars will focus on the law-making activities of each branch, the documents that are created during the process, and how they are used by lawyers and legal researchers.

Administrative agencies are part of the executive branch of Government headed by the President. They make laws through the rule-making process, but they also enforce the rules and have quasi-judicial power.

Migratory Bird Conservation And Shellfish Aquaculture In Rhode Island: Legal Issues, Nicole Andrescavage

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

From 2014 to 2016, Rhode Island Shellfish growers applied for a series of leases to produce oysters in close proximity to lands used for waterfowl hunting. The emerging conflict between these uses required the relevant agencies to seek modifications to minimize problems and highlighted a need to better understand the relevant authorities governing these agencies. This study provides an overview of how state and federal legal authorities govern the interaction of shellfish leasing and waterfowl management in Rhode Island, including whether shellfish leasing may be considered incidental take under federal law.

Congressional Control Of Tax Rulemaking, Clint Wallace

Faculty Publications

The notice and comment process is often touted as a mechanism for establishing political accountability, and providing a check on agency decision-making. Based on a survey of three years of recently proposed tax regulations, this Article shows that many notice-and-comment processes for tax regulations have been ineffective for these purposes. Fully one-third of the time, no one participated. The few participants there are have been heavily weighted towards private interests, which commented on approximately two-thirds of all proposed regulations from 2013 through 2015. In contrast, public interest groups commented on less than 24% of proposed regulations. If the notice and …

Chevron In The Circuit Courts: The Codebook Appendix, Kent H. Barnett, Christopher J. Walker

Scholarly Works

For our empirical study on the use of Chevron deference in the federal courts of appeals, we utilized the following Codebook. This Codebook draws substantially from the codebook appended to William Eskridge and Lauren Baer's pathbreaking study of administrative law's deference doctrines at the Supreme Court. Our research assistants and we followed the instructions below when coding judicial decisions. To address questions as they arose and to ensure consistent coding, we maintained close contact with each other and our research assistants throughout the project and clarified the Codebook to address additional issues. Further details concerning our methodology (and its limitations) …

State Engineer V. Eureka County, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 71 (Sep. 27, 2017), Michelle Harnik

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

In an en banc appeal from a district court order, the Court affirmed the district court’s order granting the existing holders of water rights’ petition for judicial review and vacating a limited liability company’s permits to appropriate water as proper and in compliance with the Court’s prior mandate.

The Public's Role In Administrative Law, Eugene Scalia

The Regulatory Review in Depth

No abstract provided.

Appeal No. 0943: Mario V. D/Amico V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources Management, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2017-94

Appeal No. 0932: Steven Passerell V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources Management & Michael D. Hobbs, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2016-304 (H&R Smith Unit #1 Well)

City Of Sparks Vs. Reno Newspapers, Inc., 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 56 (August 3, 2017), Brittni Griffith

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court reviewed an appeal to determine whether an appellant: (1) “properly sought the disclosure of public records by a writ of mandamus,” and (2) whether medical marijuana establishments (“MMEs”) business license identifying information must be disclosed pursuant to the Nevada Public Records Act. The Court held that NRS 239.011 provides the specific means by which to challenge the disclosure of public records, and thus Respondent properly filed a petition for a writ of mandamus. Additionally, pursuant to NRS 453A.370(5), the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public and Behavior Health (“Division”) has the proper authority to adopt …

Legal Context For Construction Of Bristol Veterans' Home Universally-Accessible Fishing Pier, Jourdan Thompson

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

This study reviews the legal requirements governing design and construction of a proposed universally-accessible fishing pier located at the Rhode Island Veterans’ Home in Bristol, Rhode Island. The pier would provide veterans and other members of the public with accessible recreational fishing opportunities. However, federal, state, and local approvals will be required before the project can move forward. This study provides an overview of required permitting and approvals by the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), Town of Bristol, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In addition, it considers the role of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) …

Evasion Of Foreign Taxes For Wildlife Exports As A Violation Of The Lacey Act, Audrey Elzerman

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

This study considers whether violations of foreign export duty requirements for live wildlife shipments can be prosecuted under United States law. The next section introduces the Lacey Act, which offers a potent enforcement tool against wildlife trafficking and related offenses. The study then considers whether and how export duty fraud violates the Lacey Act and the possible penalties that apply to such violations. Finally, it uses the Philippines as a case study to illustrate the utility of exporting country laws for Lacey Act prosecution of these cases.

Status Of The U.S. Academic Research Fleet As Public Vessels Under U.S. And International Law, Rhode Island Sea Grant Law Fellow Program, Marine Affairs Institute (Mai), Roger Williams University School Of Law, Erika Wheat, Mark Hartmann

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Stock Market Futurism, Merritt Fox, Gabriel Rauterberg

Articles

The U.S. stock market is undergoing extraordinary upheaval. The approval of the application of the Investors Exchange (IEX) to become the nation's newest stock exchange, including its famous "speed bump," was one of the SEC's most controversial decisions in decades. Other exchanges have proposed a raft of new innovations in its wake. This evolving equity market is a critical piece of national infrastructure, but the regulatory scheme for its institutions is increasingly frayed. In particular, current regulation draws sharp distinctions among different kinds of markets for trading stocks, treating stock exchanges as self-regulatory organizations immune from private civil litigation, while …

Appeal No. 0926: Goerge Jr. & Karen L. Dudich V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources & Ascent Resources - Utica, Llc, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2016-118; Troyer W LND DR Unit (Ascent Resources - Utica)

19th Annual Open Government Summit: Access To Public Records Act & Open Meetings Act, 2017, Department Of Attorney General, State Of Rhode Island

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Consideration For Unols Treatment Of Orvs As Public Vessels, Mark Hartmann

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

This document reviews the legal standards providing differential treatment of “public vessel” under federal regulations, including regulatory definitions of that term. In addition, it reviews language in key international legal instruments that provide similar special treatment for selected vessels owned by governments. This document is a supplement to Status of the U.S. Academic Research Fleet as Public Vessels under U.S. and International Law, which discusses the application of these and other legal authorities relevant to a determination of whether U.S. academic research fleet vessels are public vessels. The authorities presented here are separated by issuing agency (for regulatory citations). International …

Pharmaceutical Federalism, Patricia J. Zettler

Faculty Publications By Year

There is growing interest in states regulating pharmaceuticals in ways that challenge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) federal oversight. For example, in 2013 Maine enacted a law to permit the importation of unapproved drugs, reflecting concerns that federal requirements are too restrictive, while in 2014 Massachusetts banned an FDA-approved painkiller, reflecting concerns that federal requirements are too lax. This Article provides an account of this recent state interest in regulating drugs and considers its consequences. It argues that these state regulatory efforts, and the nascent litigation about them, demonstrate that the preemptive reach of the FDA’s authority extends …

Comm’N On Ethics Of Nev. V. Hansen, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 39 (Jun. 29, 2017), Wesley Lemay Jr.

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

An attorney for a public body, such as the Nevada Commission on Ethics, must obtain authorization from the client in a public meeting before filing an appeal of a district court decision. Failure to obtain authorization results in a defective, invalid notice of appeal.

Malfitano V. County Of Storey, 133 Nev. Adv. Op. 40 (June 29, 2017), Brent Resh

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The term “satisfactory”, as used in county code providing for liquor licensing, was not unconstitutionally vague where the provision was not related to any civil or criminal penalty. Additionally, Respondents did not violate Appellant’s due process rights by denying his application for a liquor license because Appellant had no cognizable property interest in or entitlement to the license. Finally, Appellant’s equal protection rights were not violated because Respondents had a rational basis for denying Appellant’s application.

Appeal No. 0935: B&N, Inc. V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources Management, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2016-346; (Weddle Wiley #1 Well)

Appeal No. 0912: John & Arlene Wehr V. Division Of Oil & Gas Resources Management & Gulfport Energy Corporation, Ohio Oil & Gas Commission

Ohio Oil & Gas Commission Decisions

Review of Chief's Order 2014-471 (Gulfport Energy Corporation; Brown #9 Unit)

Comment Data From Ceri, 4-3-2017, Cornell Erulemaking Initiative

Cornell e-Rulemaking Initiative Publications

This file contains comment data from ten live policy discussions held on RegulationRoom.org and SmartParticipation.com from May 2010 to November 2016. A cross-disciplinary group of Cornell researchers, the Cornell eRulemaking Initiative (CeRI), created the experimental platforms for public participation in policymaking processes. CeRI used selected live federal agency rulemakings and other policy discussions to discover how the design and process of online engagement can support public discussion that is informed, inclusive and insightful.

Regulating By Robot: Administrative Decision Making In The Machine-Learning Era, Cary Coglianese, David Lehr

All Faculty Scholarship

Machine-learning algorithms are transforming large segments of the economy, underlying everything from product marketing by online retailers to personalized search engines, and from advanced medical imaging to the software in self-driving cars. As machine learning’s use has expanded across all facets of society, anxiety has emerged about the intrusion of algorithmic machines into facets of life previously dependent on human judgment. Alarm bells sounding over the diffusion of artificial intelligence throughout the private sector only portend greater anxiety about digital robots replacing humans in the governmental sphere. A few administrative agencies have already begun to adopt this technology, while others …