McRae: An unprecedented Supreme Court decision
By Treasurer David McRae
Note: The following column is written and provided by Mississippi Treasurer David McRae. Any opinions reflected in the column are that of the writer and not necessarily that of this publication.
Two years ago, Mississippi was at the center of one of the Supreme Court’s most consequential decisions: Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a landmark case that ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. It was hard to miss the coverage, which is ongoing even today.
But there’s another Supreme Court case that was recently handed down that didn’t get as much coverage. Mississippi wasn’t part of the case this time, but the impact on our state – and our nation – will be profound. This decision overturned a 1984 case called Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which gave largely unmitigated power to federal bureaucrats.
The Chevron case empowered federal agencies to interpret and administer laws as they saw fit. In other words, if they weren’t sure what Congress was saying in the legislation, bureaucrats had the power to fill in the blanks. This gave those unelected individuals a tremendous amount of power.
Over the last 40 years, unaccountable federal officials have used that power liberally, handing down expansive environmental regulations, labor laws, and even student loan bailouts. The overreach has cost taxpayers dearly, especially when one considers the opportunities forfeited to politically driven federal determinations.
The 1984 decision undermined the separation of powers and the Founding Fathers’ ingenious governmental design. Fortunately, this June’s decision (led by Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justices) returned equilibrium to our government. By overturning Chevron, the Legislative Branch is once again the solo authors of our laws; the Judicial Branch regains its authority to interpret those laws; and the Executive Branch is limited to simply implementing the laws, as Congress wrote them.
This decision hasn’t gotten the press attention that Dobbs did, but its impact on our world is no less profound. I believe wholeheartedly in a limited federal government, and by overturning Chevron, the Supreme Court rightfully delivered just that.
Mississippi Treasurer David McRae is the 55th Treasurer for the State of Mississippi. In this role, he helps manage the state’s cash flow, oversees College Savings Mississippi, and has returned more than $85 million in unclaimed money to Mississippians. For more information, visit Treasury.MS.gov.
