Supreme Court’s Chevron Doctrine Ruling Could Limit FDA’s Regulatory Authority

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday in a 6-3 vote overturned the decades-old Chevron deference doctrine, which could have far-reaching implications for the FDA and its regulatory functions.

The Chevron deference, dating back to 1984, requires courts to defer to federal agencies and their interpretation of statutes as long as the court agrees that the said statutes were ambiguous. The doctrine gave federal agencies strong protection from legal challenges to its actions and discouraged companies from filing complaints.