Opinion ID: 471358
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Action Committed to Agency Discretion

Text: 35 A right to judicial review of agency action is presumed unless a statute precludes review or the action is one committed to agency discretion. See Heckler v. Chaney, 470 U.S. 821, 105 S.Ct. 1649, 1655, 84 L.Ed.2d 714 (1985); Abbott Laboratories, 387 U.S. at 140, 87 S.Ct. at 1510. The Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 701(a) codifies this test of reviewability. 7 The committed to agency discretion exception to the presumption of reviewability applies in those very limited circumstances in which Congress has drafted a statute so that the courts have no meaningful standard against which to judge the agency's exercise of discretion. Chaney, 105 S.Ct. at 1655; Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, 410, 91 S.Ct. 814, 820, 28 L.Ed.2d 136 (1971). 36 The district court in this case based its holding that the Tribes' claims were not justiciable in part on its conclusion that the Secretary's actions were committed to agency discretion. The district court failed to disclose the basis for this conclusion, however. Given the nature of the Tribes' claim, we are unpersuaded that review is inappropriate. At issue in this case is whether the Secretary is free to delegate to the State Board any aspect of the authority that Congress deliberately and specifically vested in him. 8 Courts have widely held that claims that an agency has acted outside its statutory authority are reviewable even though its decision on the merits might be unreviewable as committed to agency discretion. 9 See Leedom v. Kyne, 358 U.S. 184, 190, 79 S.Ct. 180, 184, 3 L.Ed.2d 210 (1958) (court will not infer that Congress did not intend courts to protect parties against agency action taken in excess of delegated powers); Johnson Oyster Co. v. Baldridge, 704 F.2d 1060, 1062 (9th Cir.1983) (court could review allegation that Secretary of Commerce violated departmental regulation); Hondros v. United States Civil Service Comm'n., 720 F.2d 278, 293 (3d Cir.1983) (agency actions otherwise committed to agency discretion by law are reviewable to determine whether decision violates constitution, statute, or regulation). See also Nader v. Civil Aeronautics Board, 657 F.2d 453, 456 (D.C.Cir.1981) (where claim is that adoption of rule violated statutory directives, non-reviewability doctrine was simply inapplicable); Matzke v. Block, 564 F.Supp. 1157, 1161 (D.Kan.1983) (issue of the procedures followed by the agency is separate from the issue whether the agency's ultimate decision on the merits is reviewable) aff'd in part, rev'd in part 732 F.2d 799 (10th Cir.1984); Owens v. Hills, 450 F.Supp. 218, 221 (N.D.Ill.1978) (although statute precluded review of agency decision, concepts of separation of powers and unlawful delegation of legislative power mandated review to determine whether agency violated its statutory authority); Saferstein, Non Reviewability: A Functional Analysis of Committed to Agency Discretion 82 Harv.L.Rev. 370 (1968). 37 Hence, the Tribes' claim that the Secretary exceeded his statutory authority and breached congressionally-imposed fiduciary duties by negotiating a Cooperative Agreement that transferred responsibilities to the State Board is clearly reviewable by this court.