US Supreme Court weakens federal regulators in boost for business
Al Jazeera
Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in challenges that could be spawned by the ‘unwarranted shock’ to the law.
The Supreme Court has upended a 40-year-old decision that made it easier for the United States federal government to regulate the environment, public health, workplace safety and consumer protections, delivering a far-reaching and potentially lucrative victory to business interests.
On Friday, the court’s six conservative justices overturned the 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron, long a target of conservatives. The liberal justices were in dissent.
Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in challenges that could be spawned by the high court’s ruling. President Joe Biden’s administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer had warned such a move would be an “unwarranted shock to the legal system”.
The heart of the Chevron decision says federal agencies should be allowed to fill in the details when laws are not crystal clear. Opponents of the decision argued that it gave power that should be wielded by judges to experts who work for the government.
“Courts must exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court.
