Skip to Content

Chevron deference

Chevron deference is the principle in which a court defers to an administrative agency's (for example, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)) prior answer or interpretation of a given statute, rather than having the court apply its own potentially different interpretation and ruling.

On This Page

Chevron deference

Chevron deference is the principle in which a court defers to an administrative agency's (for example, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)) prior answer or interpretation of a given statute, rather than having the court apply its own potentially different interpretation and ruling.

Additional Information


One of the requirements in order for Chevron deference to apply is that the agency being deferred to is interpreting its own statute or, in other words, a statute that the agency itself is responsible for administering. The term was coined after Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. NRDC, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 104 S. Ct. 2778 (1984).

Synonyms

Chevron doctrine

Related Terms