Chevron ruling’s effect on public health

Supreme Court Chevron Explainer — FILE- Gulls follow a commercial fishing boat as crewmen haul in their catch in the Gulf of Maine, in this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo. TExecutive branch agencies will likely have more difficulty regulating the environment, public health, workplace safety and other issues under a far-reaching decision by the Supreme Court. The court’s 6-3 ruling on Friday overturned a 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron that has instructed lower courts to defer to federal agencies when laws passed by Congress are not crystal clear. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

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How SCOTUS’s Chevron ruling could reshape public health as we know it

The ruling weakens federal agencies’ regulatory power, which could have adverse effects for agencies like the FDA, CDC, and EPA.

FILE- Gulls follow a commercial fishing boat as crewmen haul in their catch in the Gulf of Maine, in this Jan. 17, 2012 file photo. TExecutive branch agencies will likely have more difficulty regulating the environment, public health, workplace safety and other issues under a far-reaching decision by the Supreme Court. The court’s 6-3 ruling on Friday overturned a 1984 decision colloquially known as Chevron that has instructed lower courts to defer to federal agencies when laws passed by Congress are not crystal clear. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

Robert F. Bukaty/AP

By Jules Yaeger

In late June, the Supreme Court struck down a decades-old precedent known as the Chevron deference, which instructed judges to defer to the expert advice of federal agencies in cases where laws are vague.

Many of the agencies affected by the change deal with matters of public health — including, but not limited to, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Reset learns more about how this decision could affect the lives and health of Americans.

GUESTS: Betsy Cliff, professor of public health at University of Chicago

Jonathan Masur, professor of law at University of Chicago