When are findings of fact made in review of Agency decisions and what must they be supported by?

When are findings of fact made in review of Agency decisions and what must they be supported by?

• A. Made after formal adjudicatory hearing, on the record as a whole, and supported by substantial evidence
• B. Made at the discretion of the reviewing court, with no required support
• C. Made only by the agency director, not needing substantiation
• D. Made solely on the basis of new evidence presented to the court

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how courts review agency decisions and what supports the agency’s factual findings. When an agency decision is reviewed, the agency’s findings of fact come from a formal adjudicatory hearing and are issued on the record as a whole. Those findings must be supported by substantial evidence—evidence that a reasonable person could rely on to reach the same conclusion. The court doesn’t reweigh every bit of evidence itself; instead, it checks that the agency’s factual findings are grounded in enough credible evidence in the entire record. So the correct approach is that findings of fact arise after a formal adjudicatory hearing, are based on the record as a whole, and must be supported by substantial evidence. The other options fail because they either remove the requirement for substantial evidence, misstate who makes and substantiates the findings, or rely on new evidence presented to the court rather than the agency’s own record.

The main idea here is how courts review agency decisions and what supports the agency’s factual findings. When an agency decision is reviewed, the agency’s findings of fact come from a formal adjudicatory hearing and are issued on the record as a whole. Those findings must be supported by substantial evidence—evidence that a reasonable person could rely on to reach the same conclusion. The court doesn’t reweigh every bit of evidence itself; instead, it checks that the agency’s factual findings are grounded in enough credible evidence in the entire record.

So the correct approach is that findings of fact arise after a formal adjudicatory hearing, are based on the record as a whole, and must be supported by substantial evidence. The other options fail because they either remove the requirement for substantial evidence, misstate who makes and substantiates the findings, or rely on new evidence presented to the court rather than the agency’s own record.