Government Regulation -- 2016



United Student Aid Funds, Inc. v. Bible   (U.S. Supreme Court)

To overturn Auer case deferring to agency interpretations of their own regulations

The NAM filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case where a lower court afforded deference to an agency interpretation of a rule that was offered for the first time in an amicus curiae brief during litigation. If courts defer to agency interpretations of their own opinions offered for the first-time during litigation, agencies will be disincentivized to provide regulatory clarity and predictability in rulemaking necessary for business planning. The NAM’s brief argued that: the Administrative Procedure Act allocates interpretive authority to the courts; and; deferring to agency interpretations is inconsistent with the allocation of powers in the Constitution and undermines an important check on the excesses of the legislative and executive branches of government. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court denied the review.