Is it common for the real court to review cases after the Administrative Law Judge's (ALJ) decisions?

In most instances, it is not common for real courts to review cases after an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) has made a decision. The purpose of the ALJ is to conduct a fair and impartial hearing on the issues at hand, often in administrative rather than judicial settings. Once an ALJ issues a decision, it typically becomes final unless a party involved in the case seeks to appeal the decision. However, appeals usually go to an administrative agency or board rather than directly to a court.

The review process for ALJ decisions is often governed by specific statutory or regulatory frameworks, which may limit the grounds and the process for seeking judicial review. In many cases, a party dissatisfied with the ALJ's ruling must exhaust administrative remedies or follow designated procedures to challenge the decision before it can even be considered for court review.

Overall, judicial review of ALJ decisions is not the norm, and the authority or context in which the ALJ operates generally determines whether or not a case can be appealed to a court.