Can the FBI withhold the rap sheet of an alleged organized crime figure if it contains public information? Can a public hospital conduct urine tests for drug use on patients without their knowledge or consent? Can the FDA regulate the distribution of tobacco products to minors?

Through the use of recent and "classic" legal cases, Steven J. Cann, enlivens the topic of administrative law and makes it accessible and interesting to students. In this problem-solving approach to administrative law, Cann presents a theoretical framework juxtaposing democracy and the fourth branch of government, the administrative state. Democracy is presented as the notion that citizens should have some influence over government policy. Each chapter, however, presents examples of decisions and policies made by unaccountable agencies of nonelected individuals. The text further argues that the President possesses the will to control bureaucracy, but lacks the power to do so, while Congress possesses the power, but lacks the will. As a result, the task of controlling the administrative state falls to the courts – administrative law is the tool at their disposal. New to This Edition: -Revised and up-to-date coverage -Eighteen more cases -Increased case content