The Supreme Court Eradicated the Chevron Doctrine. Here’s What to Know

The Supreme Court once again overturned over 40 years of precedent in a landmark decision that undermines federal agencies. The 1984 Case, Chevron vs Natural Resources Defence Council, created a legal precedent known as the Chevron Doctrine, in which lower courts must defer to federal agencies for “reasonable interpretation” of ambiguous statutes regarding healthcare, safety, and the environment.

 

The Supreme Court’s Attack on the Administrative State

MAGA Supreme Court justices teamed up to transform the regulatory functions of administrative agencies. Federal agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Treasury Department, work to ensure the safety of Americans. They also allow the government to enact legislative changes effectively. The Chevron Doctrine permitted federal agencies (experts in their field) to develop regulatory interpretations of Congressional statutes. Without these federal agencies, many daily functions, such as safe drinking water, would go unchecked and endanger Americans. The 2024 6-3 decision of Loper Bright Enterprises et al. v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, et al. effectively overturns the Chevron Doctrine and the 40 years of legal precedent for federal agencies as superior regulatory bodies. 

Undoing 40 Years of Precedent

The 2024 ruling strips agencies of the rulemaking power they have wielded for the last 40 years. The Chevron Doctrine has stood as precedent for 70 Supreme Court cases and 17,000 lower court cases. The 2024 decision shifts power from federal agencies to novice lower courts and Congress. The elimination of the Chevron Doctrine will have lasting implications on public health, labor, healthcare, the environment, and many more sectors. 

The Supreme Court is undercutting agencies; yet, agencies are the most knowledgeable on specific issues, not Congress. This ruling undermines the regulatory authority of agencies by enabling lower courts to question these agencies’ knowledge. The legal argument that courts–not the expert agencies– should interpret applicable statutes, reduces the legitimacy and expertise of federal agencies. Instead of highly trained, expert policy-makers creating specific regulations, courts now have the opportunity to intervene on issues with little knowledge. Removing the Chevron Doctrine could put Americans’ lives and health at risk by loosening long-standing regulations and protections. 

Environmental Implications

Environmental policies are particularly vulnerable after this decision. The ruling opens the door for more legal challenges on any federal mandate.  As environmental issues become increasingly politicized, the EPA now has significantly less regulatory authority to ensure a safe environment. With the overturning of the Chevron Doctrine, federal agencies will no longer be the highest regulators of environmental quality. 

The Chevron Doctrine no longer applies to the recent EPA climate policies established by the Biden Administration currently under litigation. These environmental milestones are now in jeopardy of new legal challenges. These policies include pollution limits from oil and gas wells, power plants, and transit, which are critical in cutting carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. It is important to note that the Loper ruling does not impact prior cases using the Chevron Doctrine as a legal argument. Additionally, the EPA still has legal authority to regulate climate policies because of a 2007 Supreme Court decision and a 2022 statute passed as a preventative measure in case of a Chevron reversal. However, even though the new decision does not impact prior rulings, this change will have lasting effects on the future. Reversing the Chevron Doctrine coupled with the recent decision of Corner Post v. Board of Governors of the FRS, which effectively expanded the statute of limitations on federal regulation, stifles administrative law.

Corporate Greed Over American Well-Being

The MAGA-majority Supreme Court empowered corporations, not agencies, at our expense. Large oil corporations can now more easily curb EPA regulations to protect their profits; all while our planet’s temperature rises. By upending the Chevron Doctrine, the Supreme Court put profits over people and failed to protect the American people. This ruling could make it harder to regulate pollution and could slow the regulatory process. America needs judges who will enforce environmental laws, and voting for environmentally conscious politicians is now even more important.

Read more about our work to hold polluters accountable here.