In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the 1984 Chevron v. NRDC case, which had given federal bureaucracies unchecked power to interpret laws. This decision, based on the principle of judicial restraint, allowed administrative agencies to expand their own power by interpreting laws in ways that suited their interests. The result was a lack of checks and balances in government, with bureaucratic agencies becoming essentially “judges in their own cases.”
One example of this abuse of power was the Environmental Protection Agency’s broad interpretations of the Clean Water Act, which allowed them to label dry land as “waters of the United States” and soil in a river as a “pollutant.” The Supreme Court’s ruling in a case involving the National Marine Fisheries Service declared the Chevron rule no longer valid, emphasizing the importance of independent judicial interpretation of laws.
Eliminating the deference rule does not mean the government cannot enforce laws; several states have already abolished their own deference doctrines without issue. The decision allows individuals charged with violating the law to have a fair hearing before a neutral decision-maker, upholding the principles of democracy and freedom. Overall, the Supreme Court’s decision marks a significant step in reestablishing the balance of power between administrative agencies and the judiciary, as intended by the Constitution.
Source
Photo credit www.dailynews.com
