On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Chevron U. S. A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce. For decades, the Chevron deference doctrine has governed the extent to which a federal court has deferred to a federal agency’s view of its own statutory authority in rulemaking. Specifically, the Court held that the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requires courts to exercise their independent judgment in determining whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, and courts are not permitted to defer to an agency’s interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett joined. Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion which Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined. 
 
The Court’s opinion is available here.
 
Impact on General Dentistry: Without Chevron deference, courts could have more latitude in interpreting ambiguous statutes related to health care regulations that impact general dentistry. Changes in regulatory interpretations could impact reimbursement policies, dental insurance coverage, and the licensing requirements for dental professionals. The lack of Chevron deference could potentially introduce greater uncertainty and variability in the legal landscape affecting the practice of dentistry.