‘Administrative law’ sounds dry but likely will be key to success or failure of Trump’s plans for government reform

Judges will likely be asked to rule on how changes to federal rules were made and what conclusions were drawn from that process. Chris Collins/The Image Bank via Getty Images

There’s a lot of speculation about what Donald Trump’s second term in the White House will bring. But there’s one thread that’s likely to tie together many of the changes and conflicts: the subject I teach – called “administrative law.”

That’s because administrative law spells out the procedures that an administration must use to make changes in existing policies or adopt new ones. The processes defined in those laws are also used by groups that go to court to oppose an administration’s proposals.