Administrative Law

In the period from October 1967 to October 1968, the field of administrative law has continued to receive attention by the appellate courts. In the area of case law the emphasis in the past year has centered on proceedings held by the Department of Motor Vehicles arising out of the so-called implied consent law. These cases have resulted in refinements in the statement of certain constitutional principles, the recognition of newer methods to promote traffic safety, and more definitive applications of administrative law concepts. In the field of legislation, although many statutes were passed affecting administrative agencies, most of the enactments deal with the substantive problems with which particular agencies are concerned. As such, they are not proper subjects for this article, which is intended to give a somewhat comprehensive review of the developments in administrative law generally. The legislature, by enactment of an administrative discovery bill, and by a reworking of the statutes relating to access to public records attempted in 1968 to provide methods in the proper setting for obtaining information from state agencies. It is in this field of access to information that the legislature has perhaps had its greatest impact on administrative law throughout this last year