LibGuides: Federal Agencies and Executive Branch: Administrative Agencies

Federal Agency Overview

Federal agencies are part of the executive branch of the United States government. They are the means through which the government carries out and enforces law. Under the Administrative Procedures 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.

United States Government Manual
The United States Government Manual provides an excellent overview of the executive branch of the government, including leadership tables and descriptions of every federal agency and its activities/programs. The 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. The Appendix lists agencies terminated, transferred, or changed in name. Older editions of the Manual (1935-present) are available on govinfo.gov.

A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies
This federal government 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

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 requirement found in the court system, but procedural safeguards do exist, particularly for formal (versus informal) adjudications.

There is no central source for accessing administrative decisions/agency adjudications. The sources below detail both free and subscription resources for accessing agency decisions, including the federal agency's website, official reports and publications, looseleaf services, and subscription databases.

The University of Virginia Library provides a detailed list of online access points for select federal agencies on 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 (on campus access or remotely with ASURITE).

AGENCY NAME	DECISION SOURCE(S)
Agriculture Department	USDA website: 1996-present ASU Library: 1942-1996 in print; 1942-present electronically (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1977-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1987-present (Lexis password required)
Benefits Review Board (Dept. of Labor)	DOL website: 1989-present Westlaw: 1984-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1989-present (Lexis password required)
Board of Immigration Appeals (Dept. of Justice)	DOJ website: 1995-present ASU Library: 1940-2017 (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: 1998-2002 Westlaw: 1973-present (Westlaw password required)
Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) (disestablished in 1985)	ASU Library: 1943-1984 (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1979-1984 (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1979 -1984 (Lexis password required)
Civilian Board of Contract Appeals (CBCA)	CBCA website: 2007-present Westlaw: 2007-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 2007-present (Lexis password required)
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)	CFTC website: 1997-present Westlaw: 1976-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury Dept.	Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Quarterly Journals: v.17 (1998) - v. 26 (2006) Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury, Interpretations and Actions: 1996-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) U.S. First Comptroller Decisions: 1880-1894 Decisions of the Comptroller of the Treasury: 1896-1921 Digest of Decisions of the Comptroller of the Treasury: 1894-1920 Westlaw: 1968-present (Westlaw password required)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Office of the General Counsel	CPSC website: 1973-present Westlaw: 1981-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Contract Appeals Board—Armed Services	ASBCA website: 200-2019 Westlaw: 1955-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1951-present (Lexis password required)
Customs and Border Protection	CBP website, Customs Rulings: 1989-present CBP website, Customs Decisions: 2002-present ASU Library: 1967-current (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1962-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Education Department	Education website, Decisions: 1989-present Westlaw: 1966-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Employees Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB) (Dept. of Labor)	DOL website: 1998-present ASU Library: v.1 (1946-48)- 59 (2008) (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1976-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	Environmental Appeals Board Decisions: 1992-present Administrative Law Judge Decisions: 2005-present ASU Library: 1972-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)	EEOC website: 2000-present Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)	FCC website, Opinions and Orders: 1996-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) FCC Reports: v1 (1935)- 104:4 (1986) FCC Record: v.1 (1986)- current Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	FDIC website Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Federal Election Commission (FEC)	FEC website Advisory Opinions: 1975-present Latest Updates: 2011-present ASU Library: v.1 (1975)-current (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)	FERC eLibrary Westlaw: 1931-present (Westlaw password required)
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)	FLRA website: FLRA Decisions: 1979-present Administrative Law Judge Decisions: 1991-present ASU Library: 1981-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1970-present (Westlaw password required)
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, Commission Decisions and ALJ Decisions: 1995-present ASU Library: 1979-2003 (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1979-present (Westlaw password required)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)	FTC website: FTC Cases by Case Name: 1988-present Adjudicative Opinions: 1996-present Commission Decision Volumes Advisory Opinions: 1982-present ASU Library: v.1 (1915/1919)- 128 (1999) (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Health & Human Services	Departmental Appeals Board Decisions: 1974-present Westlaw: coverage varies by office (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by office (Lexis password required)
Housing and Urban Development	HUD website Fair Housing Act Cases: 1989-present Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
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)	DOJ website, Administrative Decisions: 1988-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Administrative Decisions Under Immigration and Nationality Laws: v.1 (1947)- v.22 (2000) Westlaw: 1991-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Interior Dept.	Interior Dept. website: Interior Board of Indian Appeals: 1970-present Indian Self-Determination Act Decisions: 1996-present Interior Board of Land Appeals Decisions: 1970-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Interior Board of Land Appeals Decisions: 1970-present Land Decisions and Decisions of the Department of the Interior: v.1 (1881)-v.101 (1994) Westlaw: varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: varies by source (Lexis password required)
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)	IRS website, Internal Revenue Bulletin and Cumulative Bulletin: 1995-present ASU Library:1953-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis : coverage varies by source (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) United States Court of International Trade Reports: 1980-2010 United States Customs Court Reports: v.1(1938) – 85 (1980) Court of Customs Appeals Reports: v.1 (1910/11) – 69 (1981/82) Cases Decided in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: v.1 (1982/83) – 13 (1994/95) Westlaw: 1975-present (Westlaw password required)
Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)	ICC website: Surface Transportation Board Reports: 1996-2017 Surface Transportation Board Decisions: 1996-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Interstate Commerce Commission Reports 1st Series: v.1 (1877) – 367 (1984) Interstate Commerce Commission Reports 2nd Series: v.1 (1984) – 10 (1995) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Justice Department	DOJ website, Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice: 1934-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus) Official Opinions of the Attorneys General (1892) – 43 (1996) Opinions of the Office of Legal Counsel (1977 - 2008) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Labor Department	Labor website, Office of the Administrative Law Judge—Decisions of the Administrative Review Boards: dates vary Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)	MSPB website, Merit Systems Precedential Decisions Database: 1979-present ASU Library: 1994-1998 – (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)	NLRB website: Board Decisions: v.1 (1935)-present ALJ Decisions: 2003-present Regional Offices: present ASU Library: v.1 (1935/36) – present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1935-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1935-present (Lexis password required)
National Mediation Board (NMB)	NMB website, Determinations of the National Mediation Board: 2018-present ASU Library: 1934-present (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1935-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1935-current (Lexis password required)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)	NTSB website, National Transportation Safety Board Decisions: 1992-present ASU Library: v.1(1967) – 7 (1991) (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1967-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)	NRC website, Advance Sheets: v.46 (1997) - present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issuances: 1975-2018 Westlaw: 1956-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC)	OSHRC website: Final Administrative Law Judge Decisions: 1993-present Final Commission Decisions: 1972-present Westlaw: 1971-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Commerce Dept.	PTO website: Final Decisions of the Board of Patent Appeals: 1997-present Precedential BPAI Opinions: 1999-present Informative BPAI Opinions: 1997-present Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Decisions: 1996-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents: 1870-1945 U.S. Patents Quarterly (USPQ): v.1 (1929) – 231(1986) Westlaw: 1928-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)	PBGC Opinion Letters: 1974-2016 Westlaw: 1974-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Post Office	Post Office website: Administrative Decisions: 1957-present Purchasing Protest Decisions: 1987-2005 Board of Contract Appeals Decisions: 1990-present ASU Library: Official Opinions of the Solicitor for the Post Office Dept. 1873-1951 (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1957-current (Westlaw password required)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)	SEC website: Federal Court Actions/Litigation Releases: 1995-presen Administrative Proceedings: 1995-present Commission Opinions: 1996-present ALJ Decisions and Orders: 1965-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) SEC Decisions and Reports: 1934-2006 SEC Docket: 1973-2019 Westlaw: coverage varies by source (Westlaw password required) Lexis: coverage varies by source (Lexis password required)
Social Security Administration (SSA)	SSA website, Social Security Rulings: 1960-present ASU Library: dates vary (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Westlaw: 1960-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1960-present (Lexis password required)
Treasury Dept.	Treasury Dept. website, Treasury Decisions: 1996-present ASU Library: (accessible on-campus or remotely with ASURITE) Treasury Decisions: v.1 (1899) – 101 (1966) Customs Bulletin: 1967-present Westlaw: 1954-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1980-present (Lexis password required)
Veterans’ Affairs, Dept. of	Board of Veterans’ Appeals Decisions: 1992-present U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Decisions: 1990-present Westlaw: 1989-present (Westlaw password required) Lexis: 1990-present (Lexis password required)