News Briefs: Supreme Court Hobbles Federal Regulators’ Authority
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28 issued rulings that will overturn the so-called Chevron doctrine, which gave federal agencies broad authority to interpret laws through their regulations. Writing for the majority in a pair of related cases — Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v. Dept. of Commerce — Chief Justice John Roberts wrote unambiguously that “Chevron is overruled. Courts must exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, as the [Administrative Procedure Act] requires.” The phrase Chevron doctrine refers to a 1984 case, Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council, which created a framework in which courts largely defer to interpretations of the law made by entities like HHS or the Environmental Protection Agency, as long as that interpretation is reasonable. Overturning that doctrine is expected to have significant implications for highly regulated industries, including the health insurance sector.
