The conservative-majority US Supreme Court on Friday overturned 40 years of legal precedent to weaken the power of federal agencies, which regulate myriad issues affecting the everyday lives of Americans, from air pollution to food and drugs.
"Courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous," said the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts.
At the heart of the matter is a 1984 ruling in Chevron v Natural Resources Defense Council, which said judges should defer to government agencies in determining a "reasonable" interpretation of the law if the language is ambiguous.
At the time, the case was a win for the administration of Republican president Ronald Reagan, who accused the country's progressive federal judges of burying corporate America under masses of unnecessary and restrictive red tape.
But the political right has since decried the ruling, saying it unfairly empowers the central government over the judiciary and means agencies can alter the meaning of statutes, depending on who is in charge.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
PM Modi's 1st 'Mann Ki Baat' After Lok Sabha Polls
US Supreme Court's Ruling "For The Ages" On Donald Trump Likely Today US Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of January 6 Rioters US Supreme Court Upholds Ban On Domestic Abusers Owning Guns BJP Alleges Rahul Gandhi Insulted Hindus, He Responds With RSS Jab 2 Ministers, MP Lead Fight Back On Rahul Gandhi's Alleged Insult Of Hindus Indian-Origin Woman, 24, Dies On Qantas Flight From Melbourne To New Delhi Category 4 Hurricane 'Beryl' Makes Landfall On Caribbean Island "Isn't It Morning Yet": Andhra Minister's Wife To Cop For Making Her Wait Trump Has Some Immunity From Prosecution As Ex President: US Supreme Court Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.