What’s happening: On January 17, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce. Both started as cases about fisheries management but are now cases that could put a bullseye on rules that agencies such as the EPA issue to protect our health and environment.
Why it matters: Congress passes laws, and federal agencies carry them out. Under a long-settled legal rule called the Chevron deference doctrine, when a law is ambiguous and the agency charged with administering it has interpreted it in a reasonable way, judges are supposed to defer to the agency. This allows professional and politically accountable staff at administrative agencies to apply their expertise to craft effective policies.
In Loper Bright, a small group of fishers have asked the Supreme Court to overturn this…
Read the full article originally published at earthjustice.org.