Vasilios J. Kalogredis of Lamb McErlane. Courtesy photo
On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a longstanding legal precedent that required courts to defer to the expertise and reasonable interpretation of federal agencies in carrying out laws passed by Congress.
The Chevron Doctrine arises from the 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case of Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council and has been further clarified over time. Under the Chevron Doctrine, if Congress has not directly spoken to the precise question at issue expressing its unambiguous intent, courts must give deference to an administrative agency’s interpretation of a statute so long as the interpretation is issued by the agency charged with administering that statute; generally rational or reasonable; and given in a form that would have the force of law, such as an adjudication or formal notice-and-comment rulemaking.
