Arizona judge declines to rule on constitutional challenge to agency adjudication process (2020)
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Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Gerlach on September 9 upheld a decision by then-Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) Director Gregory McKay in a case challenging the constitutionality of the procedural due process protections available to individuals during the agency’s adjudication of child abuse allegations.
McKay placed Phillip B. (the only name provided) on the child abuse registry despite a finding by an administrative law judge (ALJ) that no probable cause existed to do so. Arizona law permits the DCS director to substitute his own judgment for that of the ALJ.
Mr. B. challenged the low standard of proof (probable cause) in the agency’s review process; the lack of cross-examination of witnesses; and the unilateral power of the DCS director to reverse an ALJ’s findings. The DCS director, according to the challenge, is not an impartial adjudicator because he exercises both investigatory and adjudicatory functions.
Gerlach declined to rule on the constitutional challenges raised by Mr. B. for factual reasons. He wrote in part that the bias challenge “flies in the face of well-settled law that 'the combining of investigatory and adjudicatory functions [in a single agency] does not violate due process' unless actual bias is shown.”
Mr. B. plans to appeal the decision.
"The court decided not to review the myriad due-process and separation-of-powers problems for factual reasons,” said attorney Aid Dynar of the New Civil Liberties Alliance in a statement. "At the same time, the court decided not to take a look at the facts to avoid the serious legal problems with Arizona’s administrative law. The court's double-dodge offers an enticing recipe for appeal, and that is precisely what we plan to do.”
See also
- Read more about the case in the September 2019 edition of Checks and Balances
- Procedural due process rights (administrative state)
- Douglas Gerlach
- Adjudication (administrative state)
- New Civil Liberties Alliance
External links
Footnotes
