Friday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that by a 6-3 vote, it had overturned a 40-year-old legal precedent known as Chevron Deference. Chevron Deference compels federal courts to defer to a federal agency's interpretation of an ambiguous or unclear statute that Congress delegated to the agency to administer.
Over the years, executive agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have taken the wide latitude given by this precedent to shape policy. Chevron Deference meant that the court system was limited in stopping agencies from implementing their plans.
Now, judges will substitute their best interpretation of the law instead of deferring to the agencies, effectively making it easier to overturn regulations. This ruling will likely have a dramatic effect on challenging rules, as well as how they are developed and implemented.
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation will continue to monitor this development. It will likely impact some of the federal regulations that affect motorcyclists.
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