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Common Law
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judge made law
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Stare decisis
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"let the decision stand", that is, the ruling for a previous case
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Bystandard's Obligation
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you have no duty to assist someone in peril unless you created the danger
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Statutory Interpretation
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the state looks at all of these
1. Plain meaning rule: look at the words, what do they mean? when a statute's words have ordinary, everyday significance, the court will simply apply those words.
2. Legislative history and intent: if the language is unclear, the court must look deeper
3. Public policy: if the legislative history is unclear, courts will rely on general public policies, such as reducing crime, creating equal opportunity, etc.
1. Plain meaning rule: look at the words, what do they mean? when a statute's words have ordinary, everyday significance, the court will simply apply those words.
2. Legislative history and intent: if the language is unclear, the court must look deeper
3. Public policy: if the legislative history is unclear, courts will rely on general public policies, such as reducing crime, creating equal opportunity, etc.
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Administrative Law
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have become the fourth branch of government
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What can these agencies do?
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1. To make rules
- Legislative: they make new laws
- Interpret: they interpret laws that are already on the books
2. Implement rules
- informal: agencies may use a simple "notice and comment" method of rule-making
Formal: an agency holds a hearing before promulgating rules
3. Investigate
- subpoenas: an order to appear at a particular place and time
4. Adjudication: to hold a formal hearing about an issue and the decide it
- Legislative: they make new laws
- Interpret: they interpret laws that are already on the books
2. Implement rules
- informal: agencies may use a simple "notice and comment" method of rule-making
Formal: an agency holds a hearing before promulgating rules
3. Investigate
- subpoenas: an order to appear at a particular place and time
4. Adjudication: to hold a formal hearing about an issue and the decide it
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Ways to limit the power of agencies
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- political control: congress can cut the budgets of agencies
- can refuse to accept candidates nominated by the president, the senate has to approve
- can refuse to accept candidates nominated by the president, the senate has to approve
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Judicial Review
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courts generally defer to an agency's fact-finding, and they defer to the agency's interpretation of the law
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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
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passed in 1966, designed to give all of us, citizens, businesses, and organizations alike, access to the information that federal agencies are using
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You can access the following
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- how it operates
- how it spends its money
- can obtain information and records the agency has about you
- how it spends its money
- can obtain information and records the agency has about you
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Exemptions
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an agency officially has ten days to respond to the request
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Agency Limitations
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the four most important limitations on the power of federal agencies are statutory control in the enabling legislation and the administrative Procedure Act, political control by congress and the president, judicial review, and the information control created by the FOIA and the Privacy Act
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Result
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congress passed Title VII as a bold, aggressive move to end race discrimination in employment