Opinion ID: 3032515
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Issues Raised Here Are Primarily Legal and

Text: Do Not Require Further Factual Development The requirements that the issues raised be primarily legal and not require further factual development are, in fact, the same. “[A] controversy is ‘essentially legal in nature’ . . . when no ‘further factual amplification is necessary.’ ” City of Auburn v. Qwest Corp., 260 F.3d 1160, 1172 (9th Cir. 2001) (quoting Western Oil & Gas Association v. Sonoma County, 905 F.2d 1287, 1291 (9th Cir. 1990)). Verizon’s claims 7846 VERIZON v. PEEVEY require analysis only of the administrative record so that the court can determine whether the rates already imposed — whether interim or final — comply with the Act and relevant regulations, including the TELRIC methodology. See Fox Television Stations, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission, 280 F.3d 1027, 1039 (D.C. Cir. 2002) (holding that “whether the Commission’s determination [regarding certain ‘ownership rules’] was arbitrary and capricious or contrary to law” was a “purely legal” question). Thus, the claims require no further factual development and are primarily legal.