administrative law

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the branch of public law that governs the organisation, powers, procedures, and accountability of government agencies and public authorities, including the legal rules that constrain how administrative bodies exercise their powers and the mechanisms by which citizens can challenge administrative decisions through courts and tribunals; administrative law encompasses the principles of procedural fairness — that administrative decision-makers must give affected parties notice, a fair hearing, and reasons for decisions — judicial review, by which courts assess whether agencies have acted within their legal authority and without procedural error; and substantive review, which may examine whether decisions were reasonable, proportionate, or consistent with fundamental rights; administrative law is the primary legal framework for holding the regulatory state accountable to citizens, and its scope has expanded enormously as government regulation has grown across all areas of economic and social life

Examples

• She challenged the planning refusal through administrative law, arguing the council had failed to give adequate reasons for its decision.
• Administrative law in the UK was transformed by the Human Rights Act, which requires courts to review public authority decisions for compatibility with Convention rights.