Supreme Court Case Challenging Federal Regulations Impacts Little Sisters of the Poor

A Supreme Court case being argued this week could have significant implications for a decade-long religious liberty battle fought by the Little Sisters of the Poor. The case, Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc. v. Gina Raimondo, challenges the authority of the federal administrative state to dictate rules and regulations related to federal laws. The case was brought by herring fishermen who are challenging a rule that says they are liable for the cost of federal inspectors on their boats. The Magnuson-Stevens Act has given the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the authority to require monitors on commercial fishing boats. However, herring fishermen were not included in the list of boats required to pay for their own monitors. Recently, NOAA decided that the herring fishermen must now pay for the cost of third-party monitors, leading them to bring a lawsuit against the decision. The case revolves around the concept of Chevron deference, which grants federal agencies considerable latitude in deciding how they interpret and carry out federal laws. The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been battling attempts to force them to comply with contraception mandates, have filed a friend of the court brief in support of the fishermen. They argue that Chevron deference allows regulators to disregard burdens on religious exercise. The nuns and the fishermen are both asking the Supreme Court for a major check on the Chevron doctrine. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week, and the outcome could have far-reaching consequences for both the herring fishermen and the Little Sisters of the Poor.