In an important ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped regulatory agencies of their powers

United States Supreme Court dealt a major blow to federal regulatory authority by repealing precedent from 1984 who showed respect government agencies in the interpretation of the laws they enforce.
The decision, which was made on Friday, marks a defeat for the administration of US President Joe Biden and is the latest in a series of rulings by the US Supreme Court conservative majority that limit the power of federal agencies.
The case involved fishing companies’ opposition to a government-run program that monitored overfishing of herring off the coast of New England. The program, which was partly funded by the industry, required some commercial fishermen to take government contractors on board their vessels and pay for their services at sea while they monitored the catch.
The companies argued that the regulation exceeded their authority. National Sea Fisheries Servicewhich is part of the Department of Commerce.
The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 in favor of the fishing companies, invalidating “Respect Chevron“a doctrine that called on judges to defer to reasonable interpretations by federal agencies of U.S. laws deemed ambiguous. The doctrine, long opposed by conservatives and business interests, arose from a 1984 ruling involving the Chevron oil company.
The decision is part of a broader effort by conservative groups and corporate interests to weaken the bureaucracy of the federal agency that interprets laws, creates federal rules and implements enforcement actions. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has signaled skepticism about expansive regulatory powers in recent years, issuing rulings aimed at reining in what its conservative justices have deemed excessive actions by the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies.
The Biden administration has defended the National Marine Fisheries Service regulation and Chevron’s deference doctrine, arguing that it “gives due weight to the expertise that agencies bring” and promotes nationwide uniformity in applying federal law.
But an attorney for commercial fishermen argued that Chevron’s deference “encourages a dynamic in which Congress does much less than the Framers (of the U.S. Constitution) envisioned, and the executive branch can do much more by deciding on controversial issues through regulatory fiat.” “