Supreme Court Overturns Chevron, Which Emboldened Agencies Like ATF for Decades
Friday, in a case backed by Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the expansive doctrine of Chevron Deference, which was established by the Court four decades prior. Under this precedent, federal agencies were given deference by the courts when their rules interpreted vague or ambiguous statutory language from Congress. GOA and GOF led a large coalition in filing an amicus brief in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo.
Under the new precedent established today, it shall be solely the role of the courts to resolve questions related to agency interpretation of law. As Chief Justice Roberts explained in his opinion for the Court, “agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do.”
In the amicus brief, GOA and GOF argued that Chevron was unconstitutional because it vested legislative and judicial power within Executive Branch agencies. In turn these powers, which were designed to be held by separate, branches of government, are often combined together, handed to bureaucrats, and used to strip Americans of their freedoms. Much of today’s ruling agreed with this argument. Read more