Adjudication & Hearings
Administrative Law · Lesson 03
Adjudication & Hearings
這一課問的是：機關裁決具體當事人權利時須遵何種正當程序與 APA 程序？
ActorActObjectStandardConsequence
Visual Scene · the picture in your head
Issue. What due process and APA procedures must the agency follow in adjudicating a specific party's rights?
這一課問的是：機關裁決具體當事人權利時須遵何種正當程序與 APA 程序？
Core Terminology · 7 must-know
Tap a card to flip and reveal the meaning.
adjudication
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Agency proceeding determining specific party's rights or obligations.
裁決。
formal adjudication
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§§ 554-557: trial-type, before ALJ, on the record.
正式裁決。
informal adjudication
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Procedures vary widely; due process minimum.
非正式裁決。
ALJ
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Administrative Law Judge.
行政法法官。
Mathews v. Eldridge
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Balancing test for procedural due process — private interest, error risk, government interest.
Mathews 衡平。
Goldberg v. Kelly
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Pre-termination hearing for welfare benefits.
Goldberg 規則。
ex parte communications
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Restricted in formal adjudication.
單方溝通限制。
Issue · what this lesson is really about
What due process and APA procedures must the agency follow in adjudicating a specific party's rights?
這一課問的是：機關裁決具體當事人權利時須遵何種正當程序與 APA 程序？
Trigger words & phrases that should flag this issue:
hearingALJlicensebenefitadjudication
Expression Bank · how lawyers actually say it
Six function → sentence patterns. Use these in essay applications.
| Function | English sentence | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| State formal | Formal adjudication under §§ 554-557 requires ALJ, notice, opportunity for hearing, on-the-record decision. | 正式裁決：ALJ + 通知 + 聽證 + 記錄決定。 |
| Apply DP | Procedural due process always required for deprivation of liberty/property — Mathews balancing. | 剝奪自由/財產始終需 DP — Mathews 衡平。 |
| Apply formal trigger | Formal adjudication required only when statute requires "on the record after opportunity for an agency hearing". | 正式裁決僅依法律明定。 |
| Apply ex parte | Formal proceedings restrict ex parte communications between decision-maker and parties. | 正式中限制單方溝通。 |
Rule Sentence · the workhorse
Agency adjudication of specific parties' rights or obligations follows formal procedures under APA §§ 554-557 (when the statute requires hearing on the record before an ALJ) or informal procedures (when not), but in all cases must satisfy due process where life, liberty, or property is at stake — calibrated under the Mathews v. Eldridge balancing test.
Sentence Anatomy · 5 roles, 5 colors
Every rule sentence breaks into five visual roles.
Actor 行為人agency adjudicator (ALJ)機關裁決者（ALJ）
Act 行為adjudicating rights裁決權利
Object 對象specific party具體當事人
Standard 法律標準APA §§ 554-557 + DPAPA §§ 554-557 + DP
Consequence 後果binding agency order拘束性命令
Casebook Snapshot · a real American case
Goldberg v. Kelly
Holding. Welfare benefits constitute a property interest under the Fourteenth Amendment, and due process requires an evidentiary pre-termination hearing — including notice, oral testimony, cross-examination, and reasons — before termination of benefits.
Why it matters. Goldberg established that government benefits can be "property" requiring due process. Pre-termination hearings central.
Goldberg：福利為財產，終止前須證據聽證。
Common Mistakes · what trips students
✗ all hearings 須 formal。
✓ Only when statute requires; most are informal with due process minimum.
僅依法明定；多數非正式。
✗ Mathews 自動 require trial-type。
✓ Mathews balances factors; varies by context.
Mathews 衡平依情況。
Mini IRAC · build the Application
Issue. Did the agency violate due process by terminating P's professional license without any pre-termination hearing?
Rule. Procedural due process requires notice and opportunity to be heard before deprivation of property, calibrated under Mathews v. Eldridge balancing.
Application (model). P's professional license is a property interest; the agency terminated without any pre-termination hearing. Because due process requires pre-deprivation procedures calibrated under Mathews and a professional license is significant property carrying serious deprivation risk without procedures, the fact that no pre-termination procedures were provided despite the substantial property interest at stake — and the modest administrative burden of providing them — means the Mathews balance favors pre-termination hearing.
Pick the right element for each blank:
g1.
g2.
g3.
Conclusion. Therefore, the termination violated procedural due process.
MBE Check · multiple choice
Statute provides agency may impose fines after "a hearing on the record before the Administrative Law Judge." Must formal adjudication procedures be used?
Practice Drill · tap to build the rule
Drop the chips here in correct order:
Tap chips to add → tap chips in the target to remove: