Opinion ID: 186693
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Legal Challenge in this Case

Text: 29 On May 15, 2002, CAS wrote to NHTSA's new Administrator, taking the agency to task for its policy of approving regional recalls. Letter from Clarence M. Ditlow, Executive Director, CAS, to Jeffrey Runge, Administrator, NHTSA (May 15, 2002), reprinted in J.A. 216. The agency responded on November 1, 2002, defending the 1998 policy guidelines and attaching the generic version of the letters it sent to automakers. Letter from Kenneth N. Weinstein, Associate Administrator for Enforcement, NHTSA, to Clarence M. Ditlow, Executive Director, CAS (Nov. 1, 2002), reprinted in J.A. 221. CAS followed up with a second letter on September 10, 2003. Letter from Clarence M. Ditlow, Executive Director, CAS, to Jeffrey Runge, Administrator, NHTSA (Sept. 10, 2003), reprinted in J.A. 226. The agency did not respond to CAS' second letter. 30 Subsequently, on March 10, 2004, CAS and Public Citizen filed suit in District Court challenging the 1998 policy guidelines and the regulatory regime governing regional recalls. They maintained that the agency's policy is contrary to law, because it violates the mandates of the Safety Act, constitutes a de facto legislative rule issued without the opportunity for public notice and comment, and is arbitrary and capricious. Ctr. for Auto Safety, Inc. v. Nat'l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., 342 F.Supp.2d 1, 8 (D.D.C.2004). On June 24, 2004, appellants moved for summary judgment. On July 7, 2004, NHTSA responded with a motion to dismiss, on the ground that, inter alia, the complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. 31 On September 30, 2004, the District Court granted the agency's motion to dismiss, and denied appellants' motion for summary judgment. Id. at 3. The District Court concluded that the Safety Act does not prohibit regional recalls. Id. at 16. It also found that NHTSA's 1998 guidelines set out the agency's policy, not a binding rule, and thus compliance with the APA's notice-and-comment procedures was not required. Id. at 22; see 5 U.S.C. § 553(b)(A) (providing that notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures [do] not apply ... to ... general statements of policy). Finally, the District Court held that plaintiffs' arbitrary and capricious claim failed, because the 1998 policy guidelines did not constitute final agency action. Ctr. for Auto Safety, 342 F.Supp.2d at 24. 32 On October 29, 2004, CAS and Public Citizen filed a timely notice of appeal. Their challenge here, as below, is not about NHTSA's threatening enforcement actions against Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, or any other automaker. Rather, the entire case is focused on the agency's 1998 policy guidelines. The parties agree that the generic version of the letters that were sent to motor vehicle manufacturers ( i.e., the 1998 policy guidelines) forms the basis of NHTSA's policy with respect to regional recalls. 33 Oral argument was held on December 9, 2005. Thereafter, we ordered the parties to submit supplemental briefing to address the nature and extent of the authority of Kenneth N. Weinstein, the Associate Administrator for Safety Assurance and apparent author of the 1998 policy guidelines. The parties were asked to address whether Weinstein had authority to issue policy guidance for the Administration. Ctr. for Auto Safety v. Nat'l Highway Traffic Safety Admin., No. 04-5402, Order (D.C.Cir. Dec. 13, 2005).