U.S. Supreme Court Limits Federal Agency Powers

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a significant blow to federal regulatory authority on Friday by overturning a previous ruling from 1984 that granted government agencies the power to interpret the laws they enforce, marking a defeat for President Joe Biden's administration. The judges ruled by a majority of six to three in favor of fishing companies that challenged a government program partially funded by the industry, which monitors overfishing of herring off the New England coast. This decision is the latest in recent years, backed by the conservative majority in the Supreme Court, that restricts the power of federal agencies. The earlier ruling that was overturned arose from a case involving Chevron and called for judges to defer to federal agency interpretations of ambiguous U.S. laws.