The Supreme Court Friday issued a ruling that will limit federal agencies’ sweeping regulatory power. Libertarians and conservatives have hailed the decision as increasing individual liberty and reducing the power of bureaucrats over Americans’ lives.
In a 6-3 decision, the justices vacated a 1984 doctrine known as “Chevron deference,” which allows federal agencies broad latitude in interpreting laws when Congress hasn’t provided specific guidelines. Under the doctrine, if Congress has granted an agency the general authority to make rules with the force of law, courts generally defer to the agency’s implementation of that general authority.
David Blackmon, energy analyst and author of “Energy Absurdities,” called the high court’s decision a “Earth-shaking ruling.”
