Today, the Supreme Court handed down a far-reaching decision by voting to overturn the Chevron doctrine in deciding a pair of consolidated cases: Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (6-2) and Relentless Inc. v. Department of Commerce (6-3).
The Chevron doctrine, foundational for decades, was a legal precedent that ensured judges deferred to subject-matter experts within federal agencies when challenges arose around the interpretation of ambiguous regulatory statutes. It allowed for experts to weigh in on matters such as health and public safety, environmental protections,, food safety, and so much more – and for their expertise to be reasonably respected.
But in a chilling power grab, the far-right justices on the Supreme Court have decided today that judges know better than experts and scientists. With the Chevron doctrine dismantled, deference on matters of regulatory statutes now rests in the hands of judges – who may not understand the science or evidence involved – instead of scientists or subject-matter experts. Moving forward, for instance, when a legal challenge arises about the safety of a medicine, elected or appointed judges will determine if it is safe, not scientists. If a legal challenge is brought regarding environmental protections, judges will make the final determination, not experts in the field.
Today was a flagrant power grab by the ultra-conservative majority on the Supreme Court, and their decisions today will reverberate and undermine our democracy for years to come.
Overruling the Chevron doctrine has opened the floodgates to empower Christian nationalist judges to rewrite rules in favor of special interests, billionaires, and major corporations at the expense of the American people.
“Today’s ruling changes governance and democracy as we know it,” said Nicole Carr, Interim Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. “While the dangers of today’s decisions may not be as obvious to the public as say, Dobbs was, it’s important to note that it will have far-reaching implications. Congress must act to restore balance to the Supreme Court before there is nothing left for it to dismantle.”
