The law would return policy interpretation authority to federal agencies.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts was joined by 10 colleagues in introducing a bill to undo the Supreme Court’s decision to rescind the “Chevron deference.” The legislators seek to return the interpretation of legislative nuance to federal agencies.
In 1984, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, a case where the oil company Chevron attempted to negotiate the interpretation of the word “source (of air pollution)” in the Clean Air Act of 1963. The Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. court system would be flooded with cases arguing legislative minutiae if Chevron’s assertions were correct, granting the federal government the authority to reasonably define the details of Congressionally mandated programs.
The Supreme Court overturned this precedent last month. The majority of justices decided that if the federal government were to be given this authority over policy minutiae, Congress should write it into law themselves.
Senator Warren has responded with an attempt to do just that. She wrote that the bill would “make sure corporate interest groups can’t substitute their preferences for the judgment of Congress and the expert agencies.” However, the bill is unlikely to be approved in the House of Representatives.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For this group of senators as they respond to the Supreme Court’s opinion regarding American law.
- For members of the Senate to carefully consider the terms proposed by this bill.
- That the Lord guides the balance of power between Congress and the Supreme Court.
Sources: Reuters, NBC News
