States could fill policy vacuum in wake of recent Supreme Court ruling

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling expected to have sweeping impact across federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation. The decision, in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, gives judges more say in whether agencies are meeting the letter of the law. Under the previous “Chevron doctrine,” judges deferred to the expertise of federal rule makers as they interpreted laws to create rules and regulations. Now, judges will have more authority to interpret whether the rules federal agencies create match the law. That could provide a window of opportunity for those seeking to challenge a wide range of rules across the federal government, including transportation rules like a recent EPA rule that would force a faster transition to electric vehicle production.