What is administrative law?

What is administrative law?

• A. The interpretation of constitutional rights by courts.
• B. The body of law that establishes the operations and procedures of governmental agencies.
• C. The rules governing private disputes between individuals.
• D. The financing and budgeting of government programs.

Answer: (B)

Administrative law is the body of law that governs how government agencies operate, including how they create rules, carry out enforcement, and decide disputes. It covers rulemaking, where agencies issue regulations and usually must give notice and allow public comment; adjudication, where they conduct hearings to apply rules to specific situations; and enforcement actions, such as inspections or penalties. It also sets the procedural rules agencies must follow, ensuring due process and transparency in decisions. In a correctional context, this governs how the department of corrections writes policies, handles inmate discipline, issues licenses or approvals, conducts inspections, and responds to grievances. Constitutional law, by contrast, deals with rights and limits on government power as interpreted by courts, while civil or private law governs disputes between individuals. Financing and budgeting are about how programs are funded, not the rules and procedures agencies use.

Administrative law is the body of law that governs how government agencies operate, including how they create rules, carry out enforcement, and decide disputes. It covers rulemaking, where agencies issue regulations and usually must give notice and allow public comment; adjudication, where they conduct hearings to apply rules to specific situations; and enforcement actions, such as inspections or penalties. It also sets the procedural rules agencies must follow, ensuring due process and transparency in decisions. In a correctional context, this governs how the department of corrections writes policies, handles inmate discipline, issues licenses or approvals, conducts inspections, and responds to grievances. Constitutional law, by contrast, deals with rights and limits on government power as interpreted by courts, while civil or private law governs disputes between individuals. Financing and budgeting are about how programs are funded, not the rules and procedures agencies use.