U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 7711. Administrative hearings and judicial review

(a) Administrative hearings

A local educational agency and a State that is adversely affected by any action of the Secretary under this subchapter or under the Act of September 30, 1950 (Public Law 874, 81st Congress) (as such Act was in effect on the day preceding October 20, 1994) shall be entitled to a hearing on such action in the same manner as if such agency were a person under chapter 5 of title 5 if the local educational agency or State, as the case may be, submits to the Secretary a request for the hearing not later than 60 days after the date of the action of the Secretary under this subchapter.

(b) Judicial review of secretarial action

(1) In general

A local educational agency or a State aggrieved by the Secretary’s final decision following an agency proceeding under subsection (a) of this section may, within 30 working days (as determined by the local educational agency or State) after receiving notice of such decision, file with the United States court of appeals for the circuit in which such agency or State is located a petition for review of that action. The clerk of the court shall promptly transmit a copy of the petition to the Secretary. The Secretary shall then file in the court the record of the proceedings on which the Secretary’s action was based, as provided in section 2112 of title 28.

(2) Findings of fact

The findings of fact by the Secretary, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive, but the court, for good cause shown, may remand the case to the Secretary to take further evidence. The Secretary may thereupon make new or modified findings of fact and may modify the Secretary’s previous action, and shall file in the court the record of the further proceedings. Such new or modified findings of fact shall likewise be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence.

(3) Review

The court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to affirm the action of the Secretary or to set it aside, in whole or in part. The judgment of the court shall be subject to review by the Supreme Court of the United States upon certiorari or certification as provided in section 1254 of title 28.

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