PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

When needed to decide a case and if the issue is raised, a court reviewing an agency decision must decide legal questions, read the Constitution and laws, and figure out what the agency’s action means. The court can force an agency to act if it unlawfully refuses or delays. The court can also throw out an agency action if it is unreasonable or an abuse of power, breaks constitutional limits, goes beyond the agency’s authority, fails to follow required procedures, lacks solid evidence when a hearing is required, or is not supported by the facts. The court reviews the full record or the parts cited and considers whether any errors actually affected the outcome.

Title 5, §706

Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

To the extent necessary to decision and when presented, the reviewing court shall decide all relevant questions of law, interpret constitutional and statutory provisions, and determine the meaning or applicability of the terms of an agency action. The reviewing court shall—

(1)compel agency action unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed; and

(2)hold unlawful and set aside agency action, findings, and conclusions found to be—

(A)arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law;

(B)contrary to constitutional right, power, privilege, or immunity;

(C)in excess of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or short of statutory right;

(D)without observance of procedure required by law;

(E)unsupported by substantial evidence in a case subject to section 556 and 557 of this title or otherwise reviewed on the record of an agency hearing provided by statute; or

(F)unwarranted by the facts to the extent that the facts are subject to trial de novo by the reviewing court.

In making the foregoing determinations, the court shall review the whole record or those parts of it cited by a party, and due account shall be taken of the rule of prejudicial error.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 1009(e).June 11, 1946, ch. 324, § 10(e), 60 Stat. 243. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface of this report.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Abbreviation of Record Pub. L. 85–791, Aug. 28, 1958, 72 Stat. 941, which authorized abbreviation of record on review or

Enforcement

of orders of administrative agencies and review on the original papers, provided, in section 35 thereof, that: “This Act [see Tables for classification] shall not be construed to repeal or modify any provision of the Administrative Procedure Act [see

Short Title

note set out preceding section 551 of this title].”

§706 Scope of Review