Recent decision—an appeal or not an appeal: that is the questionBy Amy M. WatrobaAdministrative Law, October 2000The last issue of this newsletter included a discussion of AT & T Communications of the Southwest, Inc. v. Southwestern Bell Tel. Co., 86 F. Supp. 932 (W.D. Mo. 1999), where a Federal District court reviewed de novo a state administrative agency decision.
Demographics of the Administrative Law SectionAdministrative Law, August 2000The section is composed of a geographically diverse group of attorneys. There were 482 section members as of May 2000, a 15% increase since the first of the year.
Ethics and professionalism for government attorneys and the administrative judiciaryAdministrative Law, August 2000On June 1, 2000, the Government Bar Association and the Illinois Association of Administrative Law Judges sponsored a program with the above title. Co-sponsors were the Illinois Chapter of the American Judicature Society, the Administrative Law and Administrative Law Judges Committees of the Chicago Bar Association, the ISBA Administrative Law Section, and the ISBA Committee on Government Lawyers.
Federal court review of state administrative agency decisionsAdministrative Law, August 2000In August 1999, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri issued a lengthy opinion in AT&T Communications of the Southwest, Inc. v. Southwestern Bell Tel. Co., 86 F. Supp. 932.
Meeting of the section council on February 18, 2000Administrative Law, August 2000Former section council member Stephen Rotello, an Assistant Illinois Attorney General, discussed with the council the results of an AG survey addressing compliance with the Freedom of Information Act.
Recent decisionsBy Meghan HubbardAdministrative Law, August 2000An agency's unpublished interpretive opinions do not require notice and comment; an agency's erroneous decision in four cases does not estop the agency from making a different decision in a substantially similar fifth case.
Remand for presentation of new evidenceAdministrative Law, August 2000Morelli, a Will County deputy sheriff, was terminated by the Sheriff's Office Merit Commission after he was charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and other offenses.
Administrative agency is without jurisdiction to determine the constitutionality of a statuteAdministrative Law, July 2000A recent opinion of the First District Illinois Appellate Court, Board of Education of Rich Township High School District No. 227 v. Brown, 724 N.E.2d 956 (Ill. App. Ct., 1st Dist., Feb. 29, 2000), involves numerous interesting legal issues. Some are explored at length in the court's opinion, and others are barely mentioned.
The A, B, and C of an ALJ decision: Gilchrist v. Human Rights Commission, No.1-99-1054, decided March 27, 2000By J.A. SebastianAdministrative Law, July 2000In Gilchrist v. Human Rights Commission, the First District Appellate Court held, sua sponte, that the Illinois Human Rights Commission (the "Commission") exceeded its statutory authority when it (1) entered an order that allowed an administrative law judge ("ALJ") to issue a written decision on a matter that the ALJ had not personally presided over, and (2) accepted, in its entirety, the "recommended order and decision" of that ALJ.
Citizens Organizing Project v. Department of Natural Resources: Supremes define reasonable litigation expense when administrative rule is invalidatedBy Robert T. LawleyAdministrative Law, July 2000In the recently decided case of Citizens Organizing Project v. Department of Natural Resources, 189 Ill. 2d 593, __N.E. 2d __, __ Ill. Dec. __, 2000 WL 46033 (Jan. 21, 2000) (No. 86878), rehearing denied (Apr. 3, 2000), the Illinois Supreme Court broadly interpreted section 10-55(c) of the Administrative Procedure Act, ruling that a party who causes an administrative rule to be invalidated by a court is entitled to all of the party's reasonable litigation expenses incurred throughout the action.
InsideAdministrative Law, July 2000This issue commences with Bob Lawley's interesting article concerning a recent Illinois Supreme Court case which liberalizes the rules applicable to a petition for reimbursement of litigation expenses filed by a private party whose lawsuit results in invalidation of an administrative rule.
Pollution control board proposes new procedural rulesBy Claire A. ManningAdministrative Law, July 2000The Illinois Pollution Control Board (Board) adjudicates environmental cases and adopts environmental standards and regulations for the State of Illinois.
Applicability of Fourth Amendment to administrative hearing evidenceBy Paul E. FreehlingEnvironmental and Natural Resources Law, May 2000On October 28, 1999, Judge Robert Boharik of the Circuit Court of Cook County issued a written memorandum order in Isa Bros., Inc. v. City of Chicago, No. 98 CH 17389.
Courts must liberally construe statutes granting a right to appealAdministrative Law, May 2000Less than six months after Carver, a four to three supreme court held that an administrative review proceeding could not be dismissed merely because of a technical error in seeking the issuance of summons.
The good faith exception to the requirement of timely issuance of summonsAdministrative Law, May 2000Brazas v. Property Tax Appeal Board, 722 N.E.2d 1193 (Ill. App., 2d Dist., 1999), is a case also concerned with the timely issuance of summons. There, the petitioner challenged the real estate tax assessment of certain residential property.
Recent casesBy Terry ShaferAdministrative Law, May 2000The Department denied plaintiffs' applications for private detective licenses for failure to meet statutory qualifications.
Timeliness of petition for administrative reviewAdministrative Law, May 2000Following the issuance of an arbitrator's decision denying Campbell-Peterson's workers' compensation claim, the employer moved to correct clerical errors that had resulted in the omission of certain information.
Administrative law judges and the ARDCAdministrative Law, April 2000ISBA Administrative Law Section Council member Ros Kaplan, an attorney with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Committee, spoke recently to the CBA Administrative Law Judges Committee about the ARDC and its impact on ALJs.
InsideAdministrative Law, April 2000This issue of the newsletter features articles on the applicability to administrative hearings of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Recent casesBy Terry ShaferAdministrative Law, April 2000In a published opinion, the Second District reversed the circuit court and remanded for further proceedings Christopher Brazas' appeal from a Property Tax Appeal Board decision (PTAB).
Recent Law Review articleAdministrative Law, April 2000The federal government owns in excess of two trillion dollars in assets. The public lands constitutes the largest portion of such assets, with the federal government owning approximately fifty percent of the land in eleven Western states, including almost ninety percent of Nevada and Alaska.
“Taking the Fifth” at an administrative hearingBy Rosalyn B. KaplanAdministrative Law, April 2000During contested cases before administrative tribunals, it sometimes happens that a witness refuses to testify on the ground that his answer might tend to incriminate him.
An annual survey of administrative law of 1999By Terry ShaferAdministrative Law, March 2000"Administrative law" concerns the policy making, rate making, decision making, rulemaking, licensing and other requirements and procedures of administrative bodies, units of local government, and other public bodies.
Case law developmentsBy William A. PriceAdministrative Law, March 2000Note: Material summarized also includes information from case summaries prepared for the ISBA Illinois Courts Bulletin by Helen Gunnarson, from ISBA Administrative Law newsletter articles prepared by Julie Ann Sebastian and Terry Shafer, and uploads to the ISBA Administrative Law Section Council website by Edward Schoenbaum.
Statutory developmentsBy Robert John KaneAdministrative Law, March 2000The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act (IAPA) (5 ILCS 100/1-1 et seq.) has been amended by two public acts.
Administrative Law Section home pageAdministrative Law, February 2000Every Administrative Law Section member receives the section newsletter, written by leading practitioners. Beginning with 1999 issues, you can read and search the full text online.