Like spectators waiting for the starting pistol, the legal profession is holding its collective breath, awaiting the Supreme Court’s forthcoming rulings deciding the future of the Chevron doctrine. But, if you want to be in the race, you are already late to start lacing up your running shoes.
The Chevron doctrine holds that, when reviewing a federal regulation, courts should defer to the relevant agency’s reasonable interpretation of any ambiguous statutory terms. In a pair of decisions expected this summer—Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce—the Supreme Court is overwhelmingly likely to strike down or substantially limit the doctrine. Overruling Chevron will represent a dramatic decrease in the authority wielded by federal agencies.
