US Supreme Court ruling curbs power of federal agencies [Video]

The conservative-majority US Supreme Court struck down 40 years of legal precedent Friday, curbing the power of federal agencies to regulate critical issues affecting Americans’ daily lives, from air quality to drug safety and more.

In a 6-3 vote, judges overruled the landmark 1984 ruling in Chevron v Natural Resources Defense Council, which said judges should defer to government experts in determining a “reasonable” interpretation of the law if the language is ambiguous.

But that had proved to be “fundamentally misguided,” and defied the command of a statute asking courts to exercise their independent judgment on whether federal agencies have overreached, said the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts.

“Courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous,” Roberts wrote.

The decision divided the court along its conservative-liberal fault line, with the three judges appointed by Democrats — Elena Kagan, …