Origin Traced as a distinct field to French droit administratif and the Conseil d'Etat, established 1799; given a modern statutory frame in the United States by the Administrative Procedure Act (1946).
Administrative law is the body of law governing the powers, procedures and accountability of government administrative agencies: the rules under which agencies make binding rules (rulemaking), decide individual cases (adjudication), and are held to account by courts (judicial review). It is generally traced as a distinct field to French droit administratif and the specialized administrative courts built around the Conseil d'Etat, established in 1799, which developed a body of judge-made principles governing the state's own administrative acts outside the ordinary civil courts. Common law systems developed administrative law later and largely through the ordinary judiciary's power of judicial review over administrative action rather than through a separate administrative court system; in the United States the field took its modern statutory shape with the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946, which set the baseline procedures federal agencies must follow to issue regulations and decide cases, and which courts enforce.
Facts
Origin PeriodTraced as a distinct field to French droit administratif and the Conseil d'Etat, established 1799; given a modern statutory frame in the United States by the Administrative Procedure Act (1946). 1 Core PrincipleGovernment agencies exercise only the power delegated to them, must follow fair and publicly accountable procedures when they make rules or decide cases, and remain subject to judicial review for exceeding or abusing that power. 3 Origin Period
Origin Period (category)Early Modern (1500-1800) 1 Classification
Doctrine Category Connections
Area Of Law Of Doctrine
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Entity-backed identity for the doctrine category value this doctrine already carries as an enum fact, resolved to a doctrine entity by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.
Associated With
Established By
For the United States federal system specifically: administrative law as a field is older and exists independently in other jurisdictions, but the Administrative Procedure Act (1946) gave it its modern statutory procedural frame in US federal practice.
Source National Archives, Federal Register
The 1873 Tribunal des Conflits ruling is the founding case establishing French administrative law as a distinct body of law with its own liability rules.
In Legal System
Traced as a distinct field to French droit administratif and the specialized administrative courts built around the Conseil d'Etat (1799); common law systems developed their own administrative law later, chiefly through the ordinary courts' power of judicial review rather than a separate administrative court system.
Source The Oxford Handbook of Comparative LawMathias Reimann and Reinhard Zimmermann, editors
Sources
1. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Law
Mathias Reimann and Reinhard Zimmermann, editors, Oxford University Press, 2006In Legal System: Civil Law
2. Administrative Law (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Administrative law is a division of law governing the activities of executive branch agencies of government.
Lead section, definition
Administrative law is a division of law governing the activities of executive branch agencies of government. Administrative law includes executive branch rulemaking (executive branch rules are generally referred to as "regulations"), adjudication, and the enforcement of laws.
View the Source 3. Black's Law Dictionary
Bryan A. Garner, editor; founded by Henry Campbell Black, Thomson Reuters
National Archives, Federal Register
U.S. National Archives and Records AdministrationEstablished By: Administrative Procedure Act (APA)View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
What does administrative law actually govern?
The activities of executive branch agencies: their rulemaking and adjudication under the check of judicial review.
Administrative law governs the powers, procedures and accountability of government administrative agencies. It covers how agencies make binding rules (rulemaking), how they decide individual cases (adjudication), and how courts hold them to account through judicial review. In the United States the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 set the baseline procedures federal agencies follow to issue regulations and decide cases.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.