b'FOCUSChevron Deference Overturned by U.S. Supreme CourtThe overturning of Chevron deference will not only have an By Melissa S. Brown impact on environmental cases in the future but also statutory Partner, Hepler Broom LLC interpretation cases involving other federal agencies.On June 28, 2024, the Supreme CourtSince its inception in 1984, of the United States (SCOTUS)Chevron deference was a concept issued its long-anticipated decision inutilized in many environmental cases Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo,to defer to the interpretations of the overturning Chevron, which had pro- United States Environmental Protec-vided deference to the interpretationstion Agency when an environmental of agencies where a statute was am- statute was considered ambiguous. biguous. SCOTUS granted certiorariHowever, courts have placed numer-Read More Here limited to the question of whetherous limitations on the applicability of Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. NRDC, Inc.Chevron deference over the years.467 U.S. 837 should be overruled orIn its June 28, 2024, decision clarified. overruling Chevron, SCOTUS held that:[t]he Administrative Procedure Act requires courts to exercise their independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, and courts may not defer to an agency interpre-tation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous.Furthermore, the Court ex-plained that [p]erhaps most fun-damentally, Chevrons presumption is misguided because agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do.The overturning of Chevron def-erence will not only have an impact on environmental cases in the future but also statutory interpretation cases involving other federal agencies.20ILLINOIS BUSINESS LEADER'