Which statement describes Chevron deference?

Which statement describes Chevron deference?

• A. Courts must defer to an agency's interpretation whenever a statute is ambiguous, regardless of reasonableness.
• B. Courts never defer to agency interpretations.
• C. When a statute is ambiguous, courts defer to the agency's reasonable interpretation of the statute.
• D. Deference applies to agency interpretations only when Congress explicitly states so.

Answer: (C)

Chevron deference means courts will defer to an agency’s interpretation of a statute when the statutory language is ambiguous, but only if that interpretation is reasonable. Think of it as a two-step test. First, the court asks whether the statute’s terms are clear. If Congress’s intent is clear, the court must apply that clear intent, and the agency’s view carries no controlling weight. If the text is ambiguous or silent on the issue, the court moves to the second step and defers to the agency’s interpretation so long as it is a reasonable reading of the statute. The reasonableness standard matters: the agency’s interpretation must be plausible within the statute’s wording and purpose, and aligned with the agency’s role and expertise. So the best description is: when a statute is ambiguous, courts defer to the agency’s reasonable interpretation of the statute.

Chevron deference means courts will defer to an agency’s interpretation of a statute when the statutory language is ambiguous, but only if that interpretation is reasonable.

Think of it as a two-step test. First, the court asks whether the statute’s terms are clear. If Congress’s intent is clear, the court must apply that clear intent, and the agency’s view carries no controlling weight. If the text is ambiguous or silent on the issue, the court moves to the second step and defers to the agency’s interpretation so long as it is a reasonable reading of the statute. The reasonableness standard matters: the agency’s interpretation must be plausible within the statute’s wording and purpose, and aligned with the agency’s role and expertise.

So the best description is: when a statute is ambiguous, courts defer to the agency’s reasonable interpretation of the statute.