Supreme Court shifts power over federal regulations from agencies to judges

The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a legal doctrine that has shielded many federal regulations from legal challenge for decades, a major victory for conservatives and business groups seeking to curb the executive branch’s power.

The 6-3 decision divided the court along ideological lines. Its effects will make it difficult for President Joe Biden or any future president to act on a wide range of policy areas, from eliminating student debt and expanding protections for pregnant workers to curbing climate pollution and regulating artificial intelligence.

The Reagan-era doctrine known as Chevron deference required judges to defer to agencies’ “reasonable” interpretations of “ambiguous” federal rules. Judges will now have more freedom to impose their own interpretation of the law, giving them wide leeway to upend health care, environmental, financial, technology and other laws.

The Supreme Court’s change of heart comes after more than a decade of campaign by conservatives — including some Republican-appointed justices — to limit the so-called administrative state. And it came just two years after judges used the climate ruling to clamp down on regulations that have “serious” political or economic implications.