Opinion ID: 2429351
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Administrative Procedure and Texas Register Act (APTRA)[5]

Text: Section 19 of the APTRA sets the standards for judicial review of agency actions, including those of the Railroad Commission. Imperial Am. Resources Fund, Inc. v. Railroad Comm'n, 557 S.W.2d 280, 283 (Tex.1977). If the manner of review authorized by the law governing the agency's decision is other than by trial de novo, the court, sitting without a jury, may only review the decision of the agency on the basis of the agency record. Tex. Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 6252-13a § 19(d)(3); Southwestern Bell Tel. Co. v. Public TJtil. Comm'n, 571 S.W.2d 503, 508 (Tex.1978). How rigorously a court conducts other than by trial de novo review depends on whether the legislation that is the basis for the agency's action provides for the scope of review. Where the law ... does not define the scope of judicial review, the court may not substitute its judgment for that of the agency as to the weight of the evidence on questions committed to agency discretion but may affirm the decision of the agency in whole or in part and shall reverse or remand the case for further proceedings if substantial rights of the appellant have been prejudiced.... Tex. Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 6252-13a § 19(e). Substantial rights of the appellant may be prejudiced when administrative findings, inferences, conclusions, or decisions are: (1) in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; (2) in excess of statutory authority of the agency; (3) made upon unlawful procedure; (4) affected by other error of law; (5) not reasonably supported by substantial evidence in view of the reliable and probative evidence in the record as a whole; or (6) arbitrary or capricious or characterized by abuse of discretion or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion. Id. Subsection (5) articulates what is commonly known as the substantial evidence rule. At its core, the substantial evidence rule is a reasonableness test or a rational basis test. See Texas Health Facilities Comm `n v. Charter Medical-Dallas, Inc., 665 S.W.2d 446, 453 (Tex.1984) ([T]he agency's action will be sustained if the evidence is such that reasonable minds could have reached the conclusion that the agency must have reached in order to justify its action.); accord Consolidated Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229, 59 S.Ct. 206, 216, 83 L.Ed. 126 (1938) (Substantial evidence ... means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.). The reviewing court, then, concerns itself with the reasonableness of the administrative order, not the correctness of the order. Texas State Bd. of Dental Examiners v. Sizemore, 759 S.W.2d 114, 117 (Tex. 1988); Firemen's & Policemen's Civil Serv. Comm'n v. Brinkmeyer, 662 S.W.2d 953, 956 (Tex.1984). The rule prevents the court from usurping the agency's adjudicative authority even though the court would have struck a different balance. Sizemore, 759 S.W.2d at 117; Gerst v. Goldsbury, 434 S.W.2d 665, 667 (Tex.1968).