Supreme Court prepares to decide major cases over power of federal administrative state

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a pair of oral arguments on an issue that could dramatically shrink the power of executive agencies to interpret and enforce federal laws.

It is billed as a fight between what one side calls unchecked government overreach and others see as necessary protection of a broad swath of areas like environmental, health, workplace safety and consumer laws.

Oral arguments begin at 10 a.m. and could go past 1 p.m. Rulings are expected by late June.

The justices will hear two separate appeals involving the same issue: whether Atlantic herring fishermen must pay for federal officials to board their vessels to monitor the catches and collect data.

Herring are unloaded from a fishing boat in Rockland, Maine, July 8, 2015. The industry has sparked Supreme Court review of an issue that could dramatically shrink the power of executive agencies. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented a revised federal mandate in 2020, even though Congress never gave the agency specific authority to launch such a program.