The US Supreme Court-bsp-bb-link>’s biggest opportunity yet in its drive to curb federal regulators comes as the justices weigh a major legal shift that would crimp agency power over workplace conditions, drug safety and emerging issues such as climate change and cryptocurrency.
The justices on Wednesday hear two appeals that aim to reduce the regulatory leeway when Congress hasn’t given clear directives. The appeals ask the court to toss out a decades-old legal doctrine that often requires judges to defer to agencies about the scope of their authority, a step that could throw longstanding regulations into doubt.
The implications could be especially profound for efforts to regulate new industries and issues at a time when partisan polarization has stymied congressional lawmaking. Any decision to limit court deference would “hamstring agencies across the country,”…
