Statutory Reform of the Administrative Process: The American Experience and the Role of the Bar

In 2004, the Japanese government was completing a restructuring of its judicial review system and was looking forward to a follow-up round of legislative activity to reform its administrative procedures. I was asked to speak to the Japan American Society for Legal Studies about the American experience with administrative law reform at the congressional level. In particular, I was asked to discuss the role that administrative lawyers have played in these legislative deliberations. The result was the following presentation, which has been slightly edited for American publication.

I hope it will appeal to American readers who may be interested in a quick overview of regulatory reform debates in Congress over the past sixty years.