06.28.24

Supreme Court Curbs Federal Agency Power, Overturning Chevron Precedent

by: Anne E Marimow

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 40-year-old legal precedent, Chevron USA v. Natural Resources Defense Council, that directed judges to defer to the reasonable interpretations of federal agency officials in cases that involve how to administer ambiguous federal laws. Writing for the majority in the ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said that framework has proved “unworkable” and allowed federal agencies to change course even without direction from Congress. The framework, established in 1984, gave federal agencies flexibility to determine how to implement legislation passed by Congress. It has been used extensively by the U.S government to defend regulations designed to protect the environment, financial markets, consumers and the workplace. Lower courts have relied on Chevron in tens of thousands of cases evaluating federal rules and orders.

Read the full article on The Washington Post