Limiting Agency Power: Courts Must Interpret Law, Not Defer to Bureaucrats.
This bill significantly restricts the power of federal agencies to interpret ambiguous laws, requiring courts to make independent legal judgments instead. For citizens, this means a fairer legal process when challenging government actions, protection against criminal penalties for unintentional rule violations, and increased transparency in agency decision-making. The goal is to level the playing field between the government and private parties in court.
Key points
Federal courts must interpret statutes independently, ending the practice of automatically deferring to agency interpretations (Chevron deference).
Agencies can only issue new rules if Congress has explicitly granted them that authority in a statute, limiting regulatory overreach.
Citizens cannot face criminal or civil penalties for violating agency rules unless those rules specify a standard of intent (mens rea).
Agency decisions can be appealed directly to a federal court, ensuring easier and more thorough judicial review of government actions.
Expired
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