Clearer Laws Are Essential, With or Without Chevron: Editorial

Among the many rulings the Supreme Court handed down this term, a decision on so-called Chevron deference could prove especially consequential. The question at issue was whether the courts or government agencies should determine the meaning of ambiguous laws. The new ruling unsettles a 40-year-old understanding by shifting some of the power over these choices away from the executive branch. Many regulatory actions may now face a torrent of litigation.

Chevron deference matters more than it should because Congress insists on passing so many ambiguous statutes. Lawmakers do this partly by accident, failing to think through how new regulations will ...