Federal agencies are part of the executive branch of the United States. They are the means through which the government carries out and enforces the law. Under the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946, an "agency" is any federal governmental authority other than Congress, the courts, and the military. The term "agency" is often used to refer to federal departments, sub-departments, and commissions.
The United States Government Manual
The U.S. Government Manual is the official handbook of the federal government. It is published annually and includes a broad range of information on all three branches of government. Information on the executive branch includes departments, independent agencies and government corporations, and the president. The Appendix lists agencies terminated, transferred, or changed in name. Find older versions of the manual on GovInfo.gov.
A-Z Index of Federal Agencies
This USA.gov website provides links to federal agency websites as well as contact information for every federal agency listed in the U.S. Government Manual. Agency websites are excellent sources of information about agency actions, staff, and related regulations.
Administrative decisions, or adjudications, are administrative actions of particular rather than general applicability that affect private rights of interest. Agency adjudications are not subject to the same procedural requirements found in the court system, but procedural safeguards do exist, particularly for formal (as opposed to informal) adjudications.
There is no central repository for accessing administrative decisions or adjudications. The access points listed below detail both free and subscription sources of agency decisions, including the federal agency's website, official reports and publications, looseleaf services, and subscription databases.
The University of Virginia provides a detailed list of online access points for select federal agencies in its Administrative Decisions research guide.
HeinOnline also has some official publications of agency decisions in its U.S. Federal Agency Documents, Decisions, and Appeals collection (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE).
| Agency Name | Access Points |
| Agriculture Department |
USDA website: 2010-present |
| Benefits Review Board (Dept. of Labor) |
DOL website: some coverage starting 1989-present |
| Board of Immigration Appeals (Dept. of Justice) | DOJ website: 1958-present ASU Library: 1940 to 2000, in print; 1940-2023 (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1940-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required) |
| Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) |
ATF website: some coverage starting in 1954 |
| Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) (abolished in 1985) |
ASU Library: 1939-1984 (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA) |
CBCA website: some coverage beginning 2007-present |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) |
CFTC website: 1995-present |
| Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury Dept. |
Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Quarterly Journals: v.17 (1998) - v. 26 (2006)
Westlaw: 1968-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Office of the General Counsel |
CPSC website: 1973-present |
| Contract Appeals Board—Armed Services |
ASBCA website: 2000-present |
| Customs and Border Protection |
CBP website, Customs Rulings: some coverage from 1989-present |
| Education Department |
Education website, Decisions: 1989-present |
| Employees Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB) (Dept. of Labor) |
DOL website: 1998-present |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) |
Environmental Appeals Board Decisions: 1992-present |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) |
EEOC website: 2000-present |
| Federal Communications Commission (FCC) |
FCC website, Opinions and Orders: 1996-present
Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
FDIC Enforcement Decisions and Orders |
| Federal Election Commission (FEC) |
FEC website
ASU Library: v.1 (1975)-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) |
FERC eLibrary |
| Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) |
FLRA website:
HeinOnline: 1979-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) | FMC website, Federal Maritime Commission Reports: 1919-1987 FMC Reading Room ASU Library: v.1 (1919)- 28 (1987) (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1984-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1980-present (Lexis password required) |
| Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) |
FMSHRC website, Decisions: 1978-present |
| Federal Trade Commission (FTC) |
FTC website:
HeinOnline: v.1 (1915/1919)- 173 (2022) (accessible on campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| Health & Human Services |
Departmental Appeals Board Decisions: 1974-present |
| Housing and Urban Development |
HUD website: coverage varies by office |
|
Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) (Labor Department agency from 1933 to 1940; Justice Department Agency from 1940 to 2003; ceased to exist in 2003 under the name INS; see Board of Immigration Appeals for subsequent immigration decisions) |
DOJ website, Administrative Decisions: 1988-present
Westlaw: 1991-2001 (Westlaw password required) |
| Interior Department |
Interior Dept. website:
ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: varies by source (Westlaw password required) |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) |
IRS website, Internal Revenue Bulletins: 1995-present ASU Library:1953-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) |
| International Trade Commission |
Commission website
ASU Library: 1979-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1975-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1979-present (Lexis password required) |
| International Trade Court |
US Courts website, United States Court of International Trade Reports: 1999-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Lexis: 1980-present (Lexis password required) Westlaw: 1938-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Justice Department |
DOJ website, Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice: 1934-present
Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) |
| Labor Department |
DOL website, Office of the Administrative Law Judges—Decisions of the Administrative Review Board: dates vary |
| Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) |
MSPB website: ASU Library: 1994-1998 (accessible on campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) |
NLRB website:
ASU Library: v.1 (1935/36) – present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) |
| National Mediation Board (NMB) |
NMB website, Determinations of the National Mediation Board: 1997-present |
| National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) |
NTSB website, National Transportation Safety Board Decisions: 1992-present |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) |
NRC website, Advance Sheets: v.1 (1975) - present ASU Library: (accessible on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: 1956-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) |
OSHRC website:
Westlaw: 1971-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Commerce Dept. |
PTO website: ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: 1928-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) |
PBGC Legal Resources |
| Post Office |
Post Office website:
ASU Library: Official Opinions of the Solicitor for the Post Office Dept. (1873-1951, accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1957-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1959-present (Lexis password required) |
| Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) |
SEC website:
ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) |
| Social Security Administration (SSA) |
SSA website, Social Security Rulings: 1960-present |
| Surface Transportation Board (STB) (from 1887-1995, administered as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)) |
STB website:
ASU Library: (accessible on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: 1976-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Treasury Dept. |
Treasury Department website
ASU Library: (accessible on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
Westlaw: 1954-present (Westlaw password required) |
| Veterans’ Affairs, Dept. of |
Board of Veterans’ Appeals Decisions: 1992-present |