|  |  

**OFFICE              OF COMPLIANCE**              LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E.              Washington, D.C. 20540-1999
______________________SARA J. OURSLER,      Complainant,v.                                              Case No. 98-SN-24 (CV, FM, RP)THE OFFICE OF THE  UNITED STATES SENATE  SERGEANT AT ARMS,      Employing Office.______________________
**Before the Board of Directors:** Glen D.              Nager, Chair; James N. Adler; Jerry M. Hunter; Virginia A. Seitz,              Members****

**DECISION OF THE BOARD              OF DIRECTORS**

 The Board has before it a Petition for a Writ              of Mandamus of the Office of the United States Senate Sergeant at              Arms ("SAA") concerning the refusal of the Hearing Officer to dismiss              the above-referenced matter. The Board has carefully reviewed the              petition, the materials filed in support of it, and the materials              filed in opposition to it. The Board has also carefully reviewed              the pertinent orders of the Hearing Officer. Based on this review,              the Board denies the petition. 

 It is settled that "a writ of mandamus is an              extraordinary remedy, to be reserved for extraordinary situations              . . . ." *Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. v. Mayacamus Corp.*, 485              U.S. 271, 289 (1988) (internal citations omitted). Specifically,              under the law of the judicial circuit to which we are accountable,              "[t]he Petitioner has the burden of establishing that its right              to the issuance of the writ is clear and indisputable, and that              it lacks adequate alternative means to obtain the relief sought."              *In re Regents of Univ. of Cal*., 101 F.3d 1386, 1387 (Fed.              Cir. 1996) (internal citation omitted), *cert. denied sub nom.              Genentech, Inc. v. Regents of Univ. of Cal.*, 117 S. Ct. 1484              (1997). A writ may properly issue "only when there has been a clear              abuse of discretion or usurpation of judicial authority . . . ."              id., and even then the grant of the petition is a matter for sound              discretion, *see Kerr v. United States Dist. Court*, 426 U.S.              394, 403 (1976). In the case of a jurisdictional ruling, among other              things, the challenged action must be "so plainly wrong as to indicate              failure to comprehend or refusal to be guided by unambiguous provisions              of a statute or settled common law doctrine. If a rational and substantial              legal argument can be made in support of the questionable jurisdictional              ruling, the case is not appropriate for mandamus . . . ." *Formica              Corp v. Lefkowitz*, 590 F.2d 915, 921, (C.C.P.A.), *cert. denied*,              442 U.S. 917 (1979) (quoting *American Airlines, Inc. v. Forman*,              204 F.2d 230, 232 (3d. Cir.), *cert. denied*, 346 U.S. 806              (1953));*accord**In re Cordis Corp*., 769 F.2d 733,              737 (Fed. Cir. 1985).

 Under these standards, it is plain that there              is no cause here for the issuance of a writ. The Hearing Officer              has written a thoughtful explication of his reasons for retaining              jurisdiction over this matter; and, while we have no occasion at              this time to address further the substance of the underlying jurisdictional              dispute, the Hearing Officer's reasons are self-evidently anything              but irrational or insubstantial. Moreover, our conclusion that "rational              and substantial legal argument[s]" can be made in support of the              jurisdictional conclusion reached by the Hearing Officer is buttressed              both by the substantive arguments advanced on behalf of the Executive              Director of the Office of Compliance, an officer with significant              and explicit statutory responsibilities under the Congressional              Accountability Act ("CAA"), and by the decision of the Executive              Director to file an *amicus* brief in order to bring to the              attention of the Hearing Officer the importance of the issues here              to the enforcement of the CAA. In addition, because a writ of mandamus              is addressed to the sound discretion of the Board, we find it significant              that the Hearing Officer relied at least in part on current procedural              rules that were expressly approved by this Board. Finally, it appears              that the matters of concern to the SAA can be adequately protected              on appeal. *See Alaska v. United States*, 64 F.3d 1352 (9th              Cir. 1995); *Pullman Constr. Indus. v. United States*, 23 F.3d              1166 (7th Cir. 1994). 

 The CAA contemplates a streamlined, expeditious              administrative dispute resolution process. The Hearing Officer's              orders reflect a concern with the delay resulting from the barrage              of motions already filed by the SAA. While there is undoubtedly              a role in this process for appropriate writs, the expedited dispute              resolution process contemplated by the CAA would be further frustrated              by the granting of this petition for a writ of mandamus. 

 For the forgoing reasons, the Board declines              to exercise its discretion to issue a writ of mandamus. The petition              is DENIED. (1)

Issued, Washington D.C. February 24, 1999.

1 The Board also              has before it the *Motion of the Office of the United States Senate              Sergeant at Arms to Disqualify the General Counsel of the Office              of Compliance From Advising or Representing the Board of Directors              for the Office of Compliance in Their Consideration of the SAA's              Petition for Writ of Mandamus.* Since the General Counsel has              not sought nor been asked to play any such role, and since he has              not done so, the motion is denied as moot.

 

Questions or comments regarding this service? Contact wwwadmin@compliance.gov.
               |
|--|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|