What triggers Chevron deference?

• A. When a statute is ambiguous, courts defer to the agency's reasonable interpretation of the statute.
• B. When a statute is clear, courts defer to the agency's interpretation as controlling.
• C. When a statute is ambiguous, courts reject agency interpretations.
• D. When there is no agency interpretation at all.

Answer: (A)

Chevron deference applies when the statute in question is ambiguous, and the court defers to the agency’s reasonable interpretation of that statute. The idea is that when Congress hasn’t spoken with enough clarity, courts rely on the agency charged with implementing the law because of the agency’s expertise and policy insights. The process is two steps: first, the court checks if the statutory language is clear; if it is, the plain meaning governs and the agency’s view isn’t controlling. If the language is ambiguous, the court then asks whether the agency’s interpretation is reasonable; if so, the agency’s interpretation controls. It’s not triggered if there’s no agency interpretation at all, or if the statute is clear enough to foreclose the agency’s interpretation.