The Administrative State, 1930s–2010s

This chapter explores sources of information for administrative law research. Today there is a large, well-developed body of both federal and state administrative law. Administrative law includes the law that governs governmental administrative agencies and the law created by those agencies. There are four types of administrative materials: (1) materials created by administrative agencies or executive departments other than the president before the mid-1930s, (2) presidential materials, (3) materials created by administrative agencies or executive departments other than the president after the mid-1930s, and (4) some miscellaneous materials. In 1938, Congress passed the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Act. The CFR, published annually in four parts, organizes the regulations in force by topic and within each topic by agency. Other sources of information include administrative decisions, state administrative law, and federal government documents.