Supreme Court Weighs Toppling Ruling That Empowers Agencies (1)

The US Supreme Court questioned a longstanding legal doctrine that gives federal agencies wide berth to interpret unclear laws as the justices heard two appeals that would constrain environmental, consumer-protection and financial regulators.

The court is considering overturning a watershed 1984 ruling that often requires judges to defer to agencies when they offer a reasonable interpretation of a statute. Democratic administrations have relied heavily on the ruling, using it to justify mandates on energy, the environment and the workplace.

Although it wasn’t clear after 3 1/2 hours of argument whether the court had the votes to overturn the ruling, the ...