Editing Administrative law judge (section)

== State ALJs ==
Most [[U.S. state]]s have a [[statute]] modeled after the APA. In some states, such as [[New Jersey]], the state law is also known as the Administrative Procedure Act.

Unlike federal ALJs, whose powers are guaranteed by federal statute, state ALJs have widely varying power and prestige. In some state law contexts, ALJs have almost no power; their decisions are accorded practically no deference and become, in effect, recommendations. In some cities, ALJs are at-will employees of the agency, making their decisional independence potentially questionable.<ref>Ackman, Dan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/opinion/nyregionopinions/12CIackman.html?n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FOrganizations%2FC%2FCharter%20Revision%20Commission "The Price of Justice"]. ''New York Times'', Feb. 12, 2006</ref> In some agencies, ALJs dress like [[lawyer]]s in [[Suit (clothing)|business suits]], share offices, and hold hearings in ordinary conference rooms. In other agencies (especially certain offices of the Division of Workers' Compensation of the [[California Department of Industrial Relations]]), ALJs wear robes like Article III [[judge]]s, are referred to as "Honorable" and "Your Honor", work in private chambers, hold hearings in special "hearing rooms" that look like small [[courtroom]]s, and have court clerks who swear in witnesses.<ref name="Klunder">{{cite news |last1=Klunder |first1=Jan |title=Quest for Respect: Compensation Judges Win Right to Put On Robes |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-14-me-3867-story.html |access-date=29 December 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=July 14, 1987}}</ref><ref name="Pace_Pages_634_637">{{cite book |last1=Pace |first1=Nicholas M. |last2=Reville |first2=Robert T. |last3=Galway |first3=Lionel |last4=Geller |first4=Amanda B. |last5=Hayden |first5=Orla |last6=Hill |first6=Laural A. |last7=Mardesich |first7=Christopher |last8=Neuhauser |first8=Frank W. |last9=Polich |first9=Suzanne |last10=Yeom |first10=Jane |last11=Zakaras |first11=Laura |title=Improving Dispute Resolution for California's Injured Workers |date=2003 |publisher=RAND Institute for Civil Justice |location=Santa Monica |pages=634–637 |url=https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1425.pdf |access-date=29 December 2020}}</ref> State ALJs can be generalists or specialize in specific fields of law, such as tax law.<ref>Elizabeth Buroker Coffin, The Case for A State Tax Court, 8 St. & Loc. Tax Law. 63 (2003)</ref>