Pollution Curbs, Non-Compete Bans at Risk by Chevron Ruling
- Supreme Court overturns agency freedom to interpret vague laws
- Agencies had power to interpret unclear statutes for 40 years
The US Supreme Court in Washington. The high court majority said that discretion no longer applies.
Photographer: Valerie Plesch/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Supreme Court’s decision to undercut the ability of administrative agencies to interpret vague laws casts a long shadow over federal auto emission limits, bans on non-compete agreements and efforts to regulate broadband internet.
The 6-3 ruling Friday overturning the so-called Chevron doctrine could have its biggest impacts on environmental, tech and health policy, where partisan gridlock has stymied lawmaking by Congress, forcing federal agencies to use old statutes to regulate newer problems such as climate change.