Agency adjudication is the process by which an agency decides specific cases, claims, applications, or enforcement matters.
Why It Matters
This process matters because agencies do more than write rules. They also decide individual disputes that can affect licenses, benefits, penalties, immigration status, employment rights, and many other interests.
Where It Appears
Agency adjudication appears in hearings before administrative law judges, licensing boards, benefit determinations, disciplinary actions, and internal agency appeals.
Practical Example
An agency holds a hearing to decide whether a regulated business violated a rule and what penalty should follow. That hearing process is a form of agency adjudication.
How It Differs From Nearby Terms
Rulemaking creates generally applicable rules. Agency adjudication resolves specific matters involving identified parties. Procedural due process often matters in agency adjudication because the fairness of notice, hearing, and decision-making can be challenged.
Related Terms
- Administrative Law Judge
- Procedural Due Process
- Rulemaking
- Final Agency Action
- Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies
Knowledge Check
- What does agency adjudication usually resolve? It usually resolves specific disputes, applications, or enforcement matters involving particular parties.
- How is it different from rulemaking? Rulemaking creates generally applicable rules, while adjudication decides individual cases.