MARYLAND
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
Table
of Contents
Chapter One
Introduction to Maryland
Administrative Law
I.
[§ 1.1]
Generally........................................................................................ 1
II.
[§ 1.2]
Maryland
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) .................................... 2
II.
[§ 1.3]
Code
of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) ........................................... 3
III.
[§ 1.4]
Maryland
Register ............................................................................... 5
IV.
[§ 1.5]
Maryland
Rules ................................................................................... 5
Chapter Two
Agency Powers and
Separation of Powers
I.
[§ 2.1]
Quasi-Legislative
and Quasi-Judicial Powers of Agencies .................. 7
II.
[§ 2.2]
What
is a Regulation? ......................................................................... 8
III.
[§ 2.3]
What
is a Contested Case? ................................................................ 10
IV.
[§ 2.4]
Flexible
Due Process .......................................................................... 14
V.
[§ 2.5]
Separation
of Powers .......................................................................... 16
VI.
[§ 2.6]
Specificity
of Statutory Delegations of Power ...................................... 20
Chapter Three
Contested Cases
I.
The Office Of Administrative
Hearings.......................................................... 23
A.
[§ 3.1]
Introduction to the Office of
Administrative Hearings (OAH) .................. 23
B.
[§ 3.2]
Chief Administrative Law Judge ............................................................ 24
C.
[§ 3.3]
Administrative Law Judges ................................................................... 24
D.
[§ 3.4]
OAH Rules of Procedure ...................................................................... 25
E.
[§ 3.5]
Agency Discretion to Use OAH ............................................................ 25
F.
[§ 3.6]
Statutory Delegation to OAH ................................................................ 26
G.
[§ 3.7]
Agencies Excluded from OAH .............................................................. 27
H.
[§ 3.8]
Workload of OAH ................................................................................ 27
1.
[§ 3.9]
Motor Vehicle Administration ............................................................... 28
2.
[§ 3.10]
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene ........................................... 28
3.
[§ 3.11]
Department of Human Resources ........................................................ 28
4.
[§ 3.12]
Department of Labor, Licensing &
Regulation ....................................... 28
5.
[§ 3.13]
Department of Budget and Management ............................................... 28
6.
[§ 3.14]
Department of Natural Resources ........................................................ 29
7.
[§ 3.15]
Commission on Human Relations .......................................................... 29
8.
[§ 3.16]
Department of Environment ................................................................. 29
9.
[§ 3.17]
Inmate Grievance Office ..................................................................... 29
10.
[§ 3.18]
Department of Education ..................................................................... 29
11.
[§ 3.19]
Maryland Insurance Administration ...................................................... 29
12.
[§ 3.20]
Consumer Protection Division of the Office
of the
Attorney General ................................................................................. 29
13.
[§ 3.21]
Securities Division of the Office of the
Attorney General ....................... 29
14.
[§ 3.22]
Board of Works............................................................................ 29
15.
[§ 3.23]
Office of the Secretary of State ........................................................... 29
16.
[§ 3.24]
Public Information Act ......................................................................... 29
II.
The Contested Case Process .............................................................................. 30
A.
[§ 3.25]
Notice of Agency Action ...................................................................... 30
B.
[§ 3.26]
Initial OAH Involvement ....................................................................... 30
C.
[§ 3.27]
Notice of Hearing ................................................................................. 31
D.
[§ 3.28]
Assignment of ALJs ............................................................................. 31
E.
[§ 3.29]
Prehearing Motions ............................................................................... 32
F.
[§ 3.30]
Statute of Limitations ............................................................................ 32
G.
[§ 3.31]
Discovery ............................................................................................ 33
H.
[§ 3.32]
Subpoenas ............................................................................................ 33
I.
[§ 3.33]
Service ................................................................................................ 35
J.
[§ 3.34]
Prehearing Conferences ........................................................................ 35
K.
[§ 3.35]
Intervention .......................................................................................... 36
L.
[§ 3.36]
Representation ..................................................................................... 36
M. Dismissal
40
1.
[§ 3.37]
Failure to Participate/Default ................................................................ 40
2.
[§ 3.38]
Lack of Prosecution ............................................................................ 41
N. OAH Hearing
41
1.
[§ 3.39]
Expedited Hearing ............................................................................... 41
2.
[§ 3.40]
Postponements .................................................................................... 41
3.
[§ 3.41]
Waiver of Hearing ............................................................................... 42
4.
[§ 3.42]
Prefiled Testimony .............................................................................. 42
5.
[§ 3.43]
Venue ................................................................................................ 42
6.
[§ 3.44]
Electronic Hearings ............................................................................. 43
7.
[§ 3.45]
Open Hearings .................................................................................... 44
8.
[§ 3.46]
Ashbacker Doctrine/Comparative
Hearings .......................................... 45
9.
[§ 3.47]
Right to Jury Trial ................................................................................ 45
10.
[§ 3.48]
Waiver of Right to Appear at Hearing .................................................. 46
11.
[§ 3.49]
Competency ........................................................................................ 46
12.
[§ 3.50]
The Hearing ........................................................................................ 46
13.
[§ 3.51]
Exclusion of Witnesses ........................................................................ 46
14.
[§ 3.52]
Interpreters ......................................................................................... 47
O.
[§ 3.53]
Evidentiary Issues ................................................................................. 47
1.
[§ 3.54]
Privilege ............................................................................................. 48
2.
[§ 3.55]
Irrelevant/Immaterial ........................................................................... 48
3.
[§ 3.56]
Unduly Repetitious .............................................................................. 48
4.
[§ 3.57]
Incompetent ........................................................................................ 48
5.
[§ 3.58]
Probativity .......................................................................................... 48
6.
[§ 3.59]
Hearsay .............................................................................................. 52
7.
[§ 3.60]
Exclusiveness of the Record ................................................................ 56
8.
[§ 3.61]
Official Notice .................................................................................... 56
P.
[§ 3.62]
Ex Parte Communications ..................................................................... 57
Q.
[§ 3.63]
Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel ...................................................... 58
R.
[§ 3.64]
Double Jeopardy ................................................................................... 60
S.
[§ 3.65]
Standard of Proof ................................................................................. 61
T.
[§ 3.66]
Motions During the Hearing .................................................................. 63
U.
[§ 3.67]
Reopening the Hearing for Additional
Evidence ...................................... 63
V.
. Administrative Decisions............................................................................... 65
1.
[§ 3.68]
Proposed Decisions ............................................................................. 65
2.
[§ 3.69]
Final Decisions and Orders .................................................................. 69
3.
[§ 3.70]
Proposed Decisions/Exceptions: Non-OAH
Cases ................................. 69
4.
[§ 3.71]
The Findings’ Requirement .................................................................. 70
W.
[§ 3.72]
Reconsideration and Revision ................................................................ 72
X.
[§ 3.73]
Substitution of an ALJ ........................................................................... 72
Y.
[§ 3.74]
Bias ..................................................................................................... 73
Z.
[§ 3.75]
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) ................................................... 79
Chapter Four
Judicial Review of
Contested Cases
I.
[§ 4.1]
Original
Jurisdiction in the Circuit Court .............................................. 81
II.
Standing 84
A.
[§ 4.2]
Standing under the APA ....................................................................... 84
B.
[§ 4.3]
Special Statutory Standing ..................................................................... 86
C.
[§ 4.4]
Standing of the Agency to Obtain Judicial
Review .................................. 86
III.
Finality 88
A.
[§ 4.5]
Generally ............................................................................................. 88
B.
[§ 4.6]
Review of Interlocutory Orders ............................................................. 89
IV.
Exhaustion.................................................................................................... 89
A.
[§ 4.7]
Generally ............................................................................................. 89
B.
Exceptions to
Exhaustion............................................................................... 92
1.
[§ 4.8]
Constitutional Issues ............................................................................ 92
2.
[§ 4.9]
Inadequate Remedy ............................................................................. 94
3.
[§ 4.10]
Federal Case Law ............................................................................... 95
V. Primary
Jurisdiction....................................................................................... 95
A.
[§ 4.11]
Generally ............................................................................................. 95
B.
[§ 4.12]
Primary Jurisdiction Cases .................................................................... 96
VI.
[§ 4.13]
Ripeness
............................................................................................. 101
VII. The
Petition For Review...................................................................................... 102
A.
[§ 4.14]
Generally ............................................................................................. 102
B.
[§ 4.15]
Contents .............................................................................................. 103
C.
[§ 4.16]
Filing .................................................................................................... 103
D.
[§ 4.17]
Time Limits .......................................................................................... 104
E.
[§ 4.18]
Other Petitions for Review .................................................................... 104
VIII.
[§ 4.19]
Response
To Petitions ........................................................................ 104
IX.
[§ 4.20]
Preliminary
Motions ............................................................................. 105
X.
[§ 4.21]
Stays
................................................................................................... 106
XI.
[§ 4.22]
Getting
the Agency Record to the Court ............................................. 106
XII.
[§ 4.23]
Memoranda
......................................................................................... 108
XIII.
[§ 4.24]
Hearings
............................................................................................. 109
XIV.
[§ 4.25]
Right
to Jury Trial ................................................................................ 109
XV.
[§ 4.26]
Presentation
of New Evidence in Circuit Court .................................... 109
XVI.
[§ 4.27]
Remand
for New Evidence at the Agency ........................................... 110
XVII.
[§ 4.28]
Judicial
Review of the Merits of the Agency Decision .......................... 111
XVIII.
[§ 4.29]
APA
Grounds for Reversal .................................................................. 111
A.
[§ 4.30]
Unconstitutional .................................................................................... 111
B.
In Excess
of Statutory Authority or Jurisdiction.............................................. 113
1.
[§ 4.31]
Generally ............................................................................................ 113
2.
[§ 4.32]
Liquor Board Cases ............................................................................. 117
C.
[§ 4.33]
Unlawful Procedure .............................................................................. 118
D.
[§ 4.34]
Errors of Law ...................................................................................... 121
E.
Substantial Evidence
Review....................................................................... 124
1.
[§ 4.35]
Generally ............................................................................................ 124
2.
[§ 4.36]
Inferences from the Facts .................................................................... 126
3.
[§ 4.37]
Application of Law to Facts
(Mixed Questions of Fact and Law) ..................................................... 126
F.
[§ 4.38]
Arbitrary or Capricious ......................................................................... 128
XIX.
[§ 4.39]
Harmless
Error .................................................................................... 131
XX.
[§ 4.40]
Order
of the Reviewing Court ............................................................. 132
XXI.