July 25, 2023 — Republicans in Congress including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA) backed amicus briefs Monday calling on the Supreme Court to unwind a landmark precedent that gives the federal government broad authority to interpret laws.
In the upcoming high court term, the justices will weigh a case known as Loper Bright Enterprises v. Gina Raimondo, which asks the justices to pare back the 1984 high court Chevron deference, which tells courts to defer to agency’s interpretations of statutes when the language written in them is ambiguous or vague.
“As part of our Commitment to America, House Republicans pledged to hold Washington accountable. The Chevron framework makes it easier for unelected bureaucrats to weaponize federal regulations against the American people. The Court should rein in the power of unelected bureaucrats and restore the separation of powers,” the House speaker said in a statement.
McCarthy backed the House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group brief it filed at the high court in the Raimondo case, which centers on four New Jersey fishing companies asking the justices whether the National Marine Fisheries Service can force fishing vessels to pay the salaries of federal observers, which costs roughly 20% of company revenues.