Opinion ID: 779502
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Administrative Procedure Act's Exhaustion Requirement

Text: 33 Plaintiff's action below was brought under the authority of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 701-706 (APA). The APA provides a right of action against agencies and officers of the United States to persons adversely affected or aggrieved by agency actions. 5 U.S.C. § 702. However, before review may be sought in federal court the agency action must be final. 5 U.S.C § 704. An agency action is not considered final for purposes of § 704 where the agency provides by rule for administrative appeal to a superior agency authority and provides that the action is inoperative while administrative appeal is pending. Id. Section 704 thus expresses the administrative exhaustion requirement, which applies to all challenges to agency action brought under the APA. Darby v. Cisneros, 509 U.S. 137, 154, 113 S.Ct. 2539, 125 L.Ed.2d 113 (1993). 34 It is undisputed that the Environmental Groups did not exhaust their administrative appeals. The question before us is whether the BLM's administrative appeal regulations provide procedures that effectively render inoperative the challenged decision pending appeal. If the regulations do not allow for the decision to be rendered inoperative pending administrative appeal, then exhaustion of administrative appeals is not required and the matter was properly before the district court. Id.