Administrative Law Commons^™

Federal Preemption Of State Law: The Example Of Overbooking In The Airline Industry, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Such complexity is common in the airline context, both because the Federal Aviation Act1 (FAA) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) do not purport to regulate all aspects of the industry and because airline activities are so varied that they come within the reach of numerous state statutory and common-law rules. This Note will consider the power of the CAB to preempt state law and thereby to insulate airline activities from state-law liability. It will suggest a framework for analyzing the problems of preemption by focusing on airline concealment of overbooking practices. Section I explains airline overbooking and demonstrates that …

Controlling Administrative Sanctions, Fredrich H. Thomforde Jr.

Michigan Law Review

This Article will consider some of the possibilities for controlling and guiding the SEC's discretion to impose sanctions upon broker-dealers. Although it is limited to an examination of the Commission's practice and a discussion of possibilities for reform, the analysis contains obvious implications for any agency with the power to impose sanctions.

The Extraterritorial Scope Of Nepa's Environmental Impact Statement Requirement, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

This Note analyzes the extent to which NEPA's section 102(2) procedural requirements, specifically the impact statement requirement of section 102(2) (C), apply to federal agencies in their activities abroad. After determining that Congress does possess the authority to extend the requirements of NEPA to all federal agency actions, and that legislative intent will thus control the territorial scope of these requirements, consideration will be given to the presumption against the extraterritorial application of congressional enactments. It will be concluded that a "clear statement" of congressional intent is not required in the case of NEPA and that the scope of the …

The Role Of The Commodity Futures Trading Commission Under The Commodity Futures, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

After a brief look at the functions of futures markets, the conditions that led to the enactment of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Act, and the major provisions of the Act, this note will critically examine the information now available on the major issues left to the Commission to decide, point to additional information that would be useful in making judgments on these issues, and recommend solutions. It will then discuss two problems not considered in the 1974 legislation--export controls and margin oversight--suggesting areas for action by the Commission.

Competition And Regulation In The Stock Markets, Robert Pozen

Michigan Law Review

Part I of this article suggests that the courts have not satisfactorily resolved the tension between competition and regulation in the stock markets, and that the proposed legislation would in fact aggravate that tension. Part II uses an economic model of stock transactions to derive an alternative approach for reconciling competitive and regulatory considerations. Part III applies this approach to several key governmental decisions in the transition from fixed commission rates to the central market system.

On Leading A Horse To Water: Nepa And The Federal Bureaucracy, Roger C. Cramton, Richard K. Berg

Michigan Law Review

This Article is concerned with the effect of NEPA on administrative decision-making. What benefits has NEPA conferred on us? What dangers have emerged? What questions remain to be clarified if NEP A's benefits are to be achieved while minimizing any negative side effects?

Minority Enterprise, Federal Contracting, And The Sba's 8 (A) Program: A New Approach To An Old Problem, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

In partial response to the problems of the minority businessman, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has developed the 8(a) Program to channel government contracts to businesses owned by disadvantaged persons. This is accomplished through a procedure whereby the SBA contracts with another federal agency to provide that agency with goods or services, and then subcontracts that obligation to a qualified small business on a noncompetitive basis. The withdrawal of these contracts from competitive bidding has recently resulted in the institution of a number of federal court suits alleging inter alia that the 8(a) Program denies to whites the equal protection …

Military And Foreign Affairs Function Rule-Making Under The Apa, Arthur Earl Bonfield

Michigan Law Review

There is an obvious need to conduct our governmental affairs effectively. expeditiously. and inexpensively. No administrative rule-making procedure is acceptable unless it fairly takes account of this consideration. Consequently, procedural requirements that unduly fetter agency action. or frustrate its purposes. are obvious!} unwise. What is needed, therefore. is a system of rule-making that will strike a sensible balance between the need for adequate public participation in that process. and the need for efficient government. In striking that balance. society's interest in involving affected members of the public in administrative rule-making at an early stage is not so slight that it …

Alternatives To Administrative Trial-Type Hearings For Resolving Complex Scientific, Economic, And Social Issues, Barry B. Boyer

Michigan Law Review

Within the current wave of criticism directed at the federal administrative agencies, a traditional theme of administrative law is frequently echoed: agencies have allowed their proceedings to become over-judicialized, and ought to engage in more rule-making to avoid the slow, cumbersome, and repetitious process of case-by- case adjudication. As if to confirm the urgency of these calls for greater use of the rule-making power, examples occasionally surface which suggest that trial-type proceedings may collapse under their own weight and force some agencies to resort to rule-making if they are to accomplish anything at all. Thus, the Interstate Commerce Commission has …

The Fcc Computer Inquiry: Interfaces Of Competitive And Regulated Markets, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Since the advent of computer technology, data processing and communication services have become increasingly interdependent. In 1966, the Federal Communications Commission launched the Computer Inquiry to explore the broad range of regulatory and policy problems generated by this technological development.2

Recent Trends In Transport Rate Regulation, Leonard S. Goodman

Michigan Law Review

The object of this Article is to describe the trends in the Commission's work during the 1960's in some of the areas of rate regulation that could not be settled by mere reference to costs, and in other areas of changing rate policy. This was a prolific period for the Commission, one that involved many rate innovations and a sense of new direction in certain aspects of rate regulation. The present discussion of the Commission's rate work is in no sense complete; and there is no intention to make it so. By emphasizing the decisions of the recent decade, I …

Michigan's Environmental Protection Act Of 1970: A Progress Report, Joseph L. Sax, Roger L. Conner

Michigan Law Review

The Michigan Environmental Protection Act of 1970 (EPA) represents a departure from the long-standing tradition under which control of environmental quality has been left almost exclusively in the hands of regulatory agencies: it gives to ordinary citizens an opportunity to take the initiative in environmental law enforcement.

Interlocutory Appeal Procedures In Administrative Hearings, Ernest Gellhorn, Paul B. Larsen

Michigan Law Review

There are, therefore, substantial arguments for and against permitting interlocutory review of an examiner's rulings. With so even a balance in principle, factual analysis of agency practices becomes critical. This study measures agency practice against the standard that hearing procedures must be fair, and unnecessary delay is as unfair to the parties and the public as are arbitrary and erroneous interlocutory rulings.

Lawyers, Economists, And The Regulated Industries: Thoughts On Professional Roles Inspired By Some Recent Economic Literature, Charles Donahue Jr.

Michigan Law Review

In this thesis I begin by examining the causes of the crisis as expounded in the current economic literature. This examination has led me to the conclusion that regulatory practice and policy has suffered from not being sufficiently economic in its orientation. If this point is correct, there remains an important subsidiary question: "What role, if any, should be played by the lawyer?"

Regulation Of Intermodal Rate Competition In Transportation, Joseph R. Rose

Michigan Law Review

The controversy over intermodal rate competition comprehends both legal and economic issues. Clarity requires that each be explicitly stated and separately treated. The legal issues center on the meaning of section 15a(3) of the Interstate Commerce Act and the declaration of the National Transportation Policy that precedes the Act, which are the sources of the Commission's authority. The economic issues involve the effect on resource allocation of rate-making proposals devised to carry out these provisions of the Act.

Labor Law--The Permissible Scope Of The National Labor Relations Board's Rule Against Relitigation, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Under section 9 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or Act), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) is charged with the responsibility of determining what group of employees constitutes an appropriate unit for purposes of collective bargaining with an employer. While the Board itself originally handled representation petitions and determined appropriate bargaining units, Congress in 1959 amended the NLRA and authorized the Board to delegate its section 9 powers to the regional directors in order to expedite NLRB operations. Pursuant to this authorization, and in accordance with its rule-making authority under section 6 of the Act, the …

Judicial Review Of Agency Action: The Unsettled Law Of Standing, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Traditionally, the doctrine of standing has existed as the major obstacle frustrating the attempts of numerous plaintiffs to obtain relief for the injuries they have suffered as a result of allegedly illegal action by federal administrative agencies. Frequently, the rigid standards effectively have prevented any feasible plaintiff from challenging the actions of an administrative agency. The ultimate consequence of this problem has been practically to insulate a wide range of administrative activity from judicial review.

In recent years the courts have been under increasing pressure to liberalize the law of standing and to provide a judicial forum where administrative agencies …

Motor Vehicle Air Pollution: State Authority And Federal Pre-Emption, David P. Currie

Michigan Law Review

The problem of state authority over motor vehicle air pollution was recently highlighted when the Illinois Air Pollution Control Board, for the first time, adopted regulations to deal with vehicle emissions. Those regulations are disappointingly feeble. Except for outlawing visible smoke and for making it unlawful to dismantle pollution control devices, the new rules do nothing but state that the Board may decide to do something in the future about pollution from automobiles.

In attempting to improve upon these regulations, however, one is struck with a sense of considerable futility. Given the present limits of technology and the necessarily legislative …

The Conservationists And The Public Lands: Administrative And Judicial Remedies Relating To The Use And Disposition Of The Public Lands Administered By The Department Of The Interior, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The scope of the Department's functions is vast, and the statutory and regulatory materials dealing with those functions are overwhelming in their complexity and breadth. For that reason, this Comment will not seek to make an exhaustive examination of the agency's functions and procedures; rather, it will attempt to provide a selective illustration of the agency's procedures and functions and to concentrate on adjudicatory and review procedures, including judicial review. Because recent years have seen a marked increase in attention to resources and to conservation issues by persons and groups not otherwise directly concerned with the disposition of public lands, …

Legal Aspects Of A Federal Water Quality Surveillance System, Jon T. Brown, Wallace L. Duncan

Michigan Law Review

Collection of water quality data is also important for the purpose of determining the present and future needs for water resources and for the purpose of determining the proper allocation of limited financial resources among those needs. In addition, such data are necessary in order to conduct research studies and in order to determine water quality trends for the purposes of long-range planning.

Perhaps the best way to collect such data would be to establish a national surveillance system designed to monitor the quality of the nation's water resources. Such a national system is currently under consideration by the Federal …

Jurisdiction--Atomic Energy--Federal Pre-Emption And State Regulation Of Radioactive Air Pollution: Who Is The Master Of The Atomic Genie?, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Pending litigation between the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Northern States Power Company presents a potential federal-state conflict over the right of a state to impose upon operators of nuclear power plants more exacting pollution control standards than those required by regulations of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The AEC issued Northern States Power Company a permit to construct a nuclear power generating plant in Monticello, Minnesota. The regulations under which that permit was issued place a ceiling on the amount of radioactive effluents which can be discharged into the air during the course of the plant's operations. But under …

Nonstatutory Review Of Federal Administrative Action: The Need For Statutory Reform Of Sovereign Immunity, Subject Matter Jurisdiction, And Parties Defendant, Roger C. Cramton

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this Article is to generate support for three legislative proposals that will rectify the problems exemplified by the Gnotta case and hosts of other cases: (1) The elimination of the doctrine of sovereign immunity as a barrier to judicial review of federal administrative action; (2) a modest expansion of the subject matter jurisdiction of United States district courts to accommodate such review and, in addition, to provide a remedy against the United States for the resolution of property disputes; and (3) the total elimination of the remaining technicalities concerning the identification, naming, capacity, and joinder of parties …

Cox, Fellmeth, Schulz: The Consumer And The Federal Trade Commission, Ernest Gellhorn

Michigan Law Review

A Review of The Consumer and the Federal Trade Commission by Edward Cox, Robert Fellmeth, and John Schulz

Representation For The Poor In Federal Rulemaking, Arthur Earl Bonfield

Michigan Law Review

The ample personal economic resources and relatively well-financed organizations of middle and upper income Americans usually assure their particular interests adequate representation in federal administrative rulemaking. The norm is that middle and upper income individuals, or their personal or organizational representatives, directly or indirectly monitor all agency activities. These persons attempt to protect their interests through formal or informal participation in rulemaking affecting them. But federal rulemaking very frequently affects large numbers of individuals who lack the personal economic resources and organized associations of middle and upper income Americans. These economically underprivileged persons are usually unable to keep themselves adequately …

Restraint Of Trade--Trading Stamps--The Federal Trade Commission And The Green Stamp: The Effect Upon Competition Of Restrictions On Distribution And Redemption Of Trading Stamps, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Sperry and Hutchinson Company (S & H), the largest trading stamp company in the United States, has maintained two policies throughout its seventy-two years of business. The one-for-ten policy requires retailers licensed by S & H to issue stamps to consumers at the rate of one stamp for every ten cents worth of merchandise purchased. The intent of this policy is to prevent retailers from engaging in "multiple stamping"-the practice of giving more than one stamp for every ten-cent purchase. This restricted rate of issuance is maintained through contractual agreements between the stamp company and its licensees. The second policy …

Labor Law--Unions--The National Labor Relations Board's Role In Examining The Use Of Union Dues Collected Pursuant To A Union Security Agreement, Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

Under section 8(a)(3) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a majority union and an employer are permitted to enter into a so-called "union security agreement," which requires all employees in the bargaining unit to tender to the union as a condition of continued employment "the periodic dues and the initiation fees uniformly required" by the union of its members. As long as an employee-whether or not he is a member of the union-is willing to pay the proper initiation fees and the "periodic dues.., uniformly required," the union commits an unfair labor practice if it threatens to request or …

Administrative Delay And Judicial Relief, Steven Goldman

Michigan Law Review

The problem of judicial relief from protracted agency delay has been virtually undiscussed in the existing literature. The few courts that have dealt with the delay question have acted instinctively, without providing any rational framework and without articulating either relevant concerns or appropriate standards. This Article will explore the range of issues raised when courts are called upon to grant relief from excessive administrative delay.

Cease And Desist: The History, Effect, And Scope Of Clayton Act Orders Of The Federal Trade Commission, Thomas E. Kauper

Michigan Law Review

A cease and desist order is not entered in a vacuum. What an order should say or require depends upon the effect which the order is to have. A substantial portion of the present study is therefore concerned with the array of effects which may result from the order's entry, and with the relationship between those effects and the order itself. Not all of the detailed discussion of enforcement procedures which follows may seem directly relevant to the content of the FTC's orders. There are important unresolved issues within the enforcement procedures themselves which warrant examination for their own sake …

Labor Law--The Judicial Role In The Enforcement Of The "Excelsior Rule", Michigan Law Review

Michigan Law Review

The NLRB has sought such judicial assistance in almost a dozen cases, and in most of these the courts have assumed an active role in the enforcement of the Excelsior rule. However, a few courts have not been receptive to such enforcement, and the NLRB itself has experienced some difficulty in settling upon the proper grounds for requesting judicial aid. To date, the NLRB has advanced two theories as bases for court enforcement of the requirement that employers produce Excelsior lists: (I) it has sought-under section 1337 of the Judicial Code-to invoke the general jurisdiction of federal district courts to …

The United States Post Office, Incorporated: A Blueprint For Reform, Stanley Siegel

Michigan Law Review

For several generations, the United States Post Office has been the textbook demonstration of the inefficiency of the government in business. To some, the solution to its problems lies only in turning over its functions to free enterprise. A more constructive and politic approach is to inquire whether a structural arrangement falling somewhere between that of a governmental department and that of a privately owned business would permit the Post Office to achieve some of the efficiencies of private enterprise without compromising the most essential elements of public responsibility. This approach has been given new timeliness by the proposal of …