application@ >8? (ail$ ade.uately to in(orm recipient$ and applicant$ o( t!eir rig!t to appeal*
WHITE v. ROUGHTON
February 27, 1976 | Per Curiam | Appeal | Non-delegation Doctrine oug!ton,, "it!out "it!out "ritten "ritten notice notice and e#planat e#planation, ion, terminated terminated t!e SUMMARY: oug!ton general a$$i$tance recei%ed by &!ite and &al'er, and denied t!e application (or t!e $ame by )ilagy "it!out in(orming !er o( t!e rea$on$ (or t!e denial o( !er application* +!ey (iled a complain complaintt again$t again$t oug!ton, oug!ton, alleging alleging t!at t!e latter latter determin determine$ e$ eligibility arbitrarily, "it!out any e$tabli$!ed "ritten $tandard$ and regulation$* +!e Court Court !eld !eld t!at t!at t!e lac' lac' o( e$tabl e$tabli$! i$!ed ed $tanda $tandard$ rd$ and regula regulatio tion$ n$ (or t!e determina determination tion o( one$ one$ eligibili eligibility ty (or t!e general a$$i$tance a$$i$tance i$ %iolati% %iolati%ee o( due proce$$* oreo%er, oug!ton (ailed to gi%e plainti(($ ade.uate notice and an e%identiary !earing be(ore t!eir bene(it$ "ere terminated, a$ "ell a$ $tate t!e rea$on (or t!e denial o( t!e application* DOCTRINE: Due proce$$ re.uire$ t!at "el(are a$$i$tance be admini$tered to en$ure (airne$$ (airn e$$ and (ree (reedom dom (rom arbitrary deci$ion-ma deci$ion-ma'ing 'ing a$ to elig eligibili ibility* ty* Fair and con$i$ten con$ i$tentt appl applicat ication ion o( eligi eligibility bility re.u re.uirem irement$, ent$, re.u re.uire$ ire$ e$ta e$tabli$! bli$!ed ed "rit "ritten ten $tandard$ and regulation$*
ISSUE/S: &oN RATIO:
1*
2*
FACTS:
1*
2*
;*
8*
*
C* /aug!n /aug!n oug!to oug!ton, n, a$ t!e $uper%i$or $uper%i$or o( t!e to"n to"n o( t!e City o( C!ampa C!ampaign ign +o"n$!ip, +o"n$!ip, admini$ter$ t!e general to"n$!ip a$$i$tance program "!ic! pro%ide$ locally collected ta#e$ (or di$tribution a$ "el(are to needy to"n$!ip re$ident$* 0e terminated t!e a$$i$tance being recei%ed by eon &!ite and le$ter &al'er and denied t!e application (or a$$i$tance o( 3eatrice )ilagy* )ilagy* &!ite4 &!ite4 recei%ed recei%ed general general a$$i$tan a$$i$tance ce in t!e (orm o( 5(ood 5(ood order$ (or (or period$ o( 1 "ee' eac! in 1978* 0i$ la$t allotment "a$ gi%en on ct* :, 1978, and "a$ $ub$e.uently terminated t!erea(ter t!erea(ter "it!out any "ritten notice or e#planation a$ to t!e rea$on (or t!e termination* 0e "a$ al$o not in(ormed o( !i$ rig!t to appeal or !o" to in$titute $uc! appeal* &al'e &al'er4 r4 "a$ pro%ided pro%ided (ood (ood a$$i$t a$$i$tanc ancee (or <18 on Aug 2;, 1978, 1978, and and rent rent a$$i$tance (or <6 (rom ct 1-No% 1, 1978* )ub$e.uently, !i$ a$$i$tance "a$ terminated "it!out "ritten notice and "it!out in(orming !im o( !i$ rig!t to appeal* )ilagy4 )ilagy4 applied applied (or to"n$!ip to"n$!ip general general a$$i$tan a$$i$tance ce on at lea$t ; occa$ion$ occa$ion$ in 1978, 1978, but "a$ denied o( a$$i$tance "it!out being in(ormed o( t!e rea$on$ (or t!e re=ection o( !er application nor o( !er rig!t to appeal* Plai Plaint nti( i(($ ($ claim claim t!at t!at oug oug!t !ton on44 >1? oper operate$ ate$ t!e gene general ral a$$i$ a$$i$tanc tancee "el( "el(are are program "it!out publi$!ed $tandard$ (or eligibility or t!e amount o( aid gi%en@ >2? term terminate inate$$ gene general ral a$$i$tance a$$i$tance "it! "it!out out gi%ing t!e recipient recipient noti notice ce and a !earing prior to t!at termination@ >;? denie$ application$ (or general a$$i$tance "el(are "it!out gi%ing t!e applicant notice and a !earing a(ter t!e denial o( t!e
plainti(($ rig!t to due proce$$ !a$ been %iolated* B)* ANDD "it! direction$*
HELD/RULING: /)D and
;*
8*
*
6*
Procedura Procedurall due proce$$ proce$$ re.uire$ re.uire$ t!at "el(are "el(are recipien recipient$ t$ mu$t be pro%ided pro%ided "it! ade.uate notice and an e%identiary !earing be(ore bene(it$ may be di$counted >oldberg %* elly?* oreo%er oreo%er,, due proce$$ re.uire$ t!at "el( "el(are are a$$i$tance a$$i$tance be adm admini$te ini$tered red to en$ure (airne$$ and (reedom (rom arbitrary deci$ion-ma'ing a$ to eligibility* Federally $ub$idiEed public a$$i$tance i$ go%erned by $tatute and e#ten$i%e regulation$* +!e llinoi$ Public Aid Department maintain$ $peci(ic regulation$ go%erning go%e rning proc procedure edure$$ and $tan $tandard$ dard$ to dete determin rminee elig eligibili ibility* ty* De(e De(endan ndantt oug!ton i$ apparently not bound by t!e regulation$ o( t!e llinoi$ Public Aid Department* Certain ba$ic eligibility re.uirement$, !o"e%er, !o"e%er, are pro%ided in t!e eneral A$$i$tance $tatute it$el(* De( e(eenda dant nt oug!ton a$ admini$trator o( t!e general a$$i$tance program !a$ t!e re$pon$ibility to t!e program to en$ure t!e (air and con$i$tent application o( eligibility re.uirement$* Fair and con$i$tent application o( $uc! re.uirement$ re.uire$ t!at oug!ton e$tabli$! "ritten $tandard$ and regulation$* At t!e !earing !earing in t!e di$tric di$trictt court on t!e prelimin preliminary ary in=uncti in=unction, on, de(endan de(endantt oug!ton admitted t!at !e and !i$ $ta(( determine eligibility ba$ed upon t!eir o"n un" un"rit ritten ten per per$on $onal al $ta $tanda ndard$ rd$** )uc )uc! ! a pro proce cedur dure, e, %e %e$ti $ting ng %ir %irtua tually lly un(ettere un(e ttered d di$c di$cretio retion n in oug!ton oug!ton and !i$ $ta((, i$ clearly %iolati%e o( due proce$$* +!e di$trict di$trict court court erred by (ailing (ailing to con$ider con$ider t!e rele%an rele%antt e%idence e%idence pre$ented pre$ented at t!e !earing on t!e preliminary in=unction* At i$$ue "a$ "!et!er plainti(($ procedural due proce$$ rig!t$ "ere %iolated by t!e met!od by "!ic! t!ey "ere denied general a$$i$tance, not "!et!er t!ey "ere entitled to t!e $ame* De(endan De(e ndant$ t$ conten contention tion t!at t!at t!e !earing in t!e di$trict di$trict court pro%ided pro%ided plainti(( plainti(($$ $u((icient due proce$$ cannot be $u$tained* +!e re.uirement$ o( due proce$$ include a determination o( t!e i$$ue$ according to articulated $tandard$* +!e lac' o( $uc! $tandard$ in t!i$ ca$e depri%e$ any !earing, "!et!er be(ore an agency or a court, o( it$ meaning and %alue a$ an opportunity (or t!e plainti(($ to pro%e t!eir .uali(ication$ (or a$$i$tance*
