Chevron deference made courts side with agencies about three-quarters of the time

Evidence

In 1984, in Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, the Supreme Court told courts to respect the way agencies interpret the law; agency interpretations on doubtful points were to be upheld, unless they flatly contradicted what Congress had plainly said. This was understood by commentators to mean a regime of more respect for agency determinations and less vigorous judicial review. And, in fact, a study of the work of the courts published a few years after the decision showed that federal courts usually sided with the agencies—​about three times out of four, in fact. — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law, 611

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names and quantifies the Chevron deference doctrine, the key modern rule about agency interpretation.
• XREF: Chevron’s 2024 demise in Loper Bright is the natural modern coda to this dated snapshot — worth pairing when teaching. — connects to: Standing rules require a financial stake and gatekeep who may challenge agency action — Lawrence M. Friedman and Grant M. Hayden, American Law: An Introduction, 604