Supreme Court declines to overturn doctrine on regulatory clarity

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The Hill

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to overturn a doctrine under which courts defer to federal agencies to interpret their own regulations that come across as ambiguous.

In a 9-0 ruling, the justices narrowed their interpretation of the doctrine, but allowed it to remain in place. The practice means that courts will typically turn to agencies to define exactly what a rule means, if it's not immediately clear, in cases challenging those rules.

 

But the justices made clear that the doctrine should only be applied when it's specifically called for, and that courts should be wary of using it too frequently.

"When it applies, [the doctrine] gives an agency significant leeway to say what its own rules mean," Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the court's opinion. "In so doing, the doctrine enables the agency to fill out the regulatory scheme Congress has placed under its supervision."

However, the justices ruled that the case should be sent down to a lower court for reconsideration.