Herring Fishermen Petition U.S. Supreme Court to Reject Executive Power Grab
With the support of Cause of Action Institute and former Solicitor General Paul Clement, New Jersey fishermen are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case about government overreach and potentially overrule Chevron.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act gives the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discretionary authority to require monitors on commercial fishing boats. But when the agency ran out of money, it decided to shift the cost to fishermen themselves—without authorization from Congress.
As a result of this unlawful mandate, most herring fishermen must effectively pay the salaries of monitors—estimated at over $700 per day—to ride their boats and watch them fish. That’s more than some boat captains will make on the same trip.
The Law is Clear
Statutory context makes clear Congress knew how to delegate authority for industry-funded monitoring but decided not to for the herring fishery. Unfortunately, the D.C. Circuit held this silence was ambiguous and thus, due to Chevron deference, it must assume the government’s interpretation of the statue is correct. As a result, the court allowed the government to mandate regulations that Congress never authorized.
Overrule Chevron Deference
The Supreme Court should either overrule Chevron or clarify that unelected bureaucrats cannot compel fishermen to pay at-sea monitors without a clear authorization from Congress. This case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, provides that opportunity.
Download a case summary on Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo here.
Media Contact
Related Documents
Supreme Court of the United States
Amicus Briefs in Support of the Petition
Cato Institute and Liberty Justice Center
Competitive Enterprise Institute and Manhattan Institute
Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence
Buckeye Institute and National Federation of Independent Businesses
West Virginia and 17 Other States
Independent Women’s Law Center
Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc.
Relentless Inc., Huntress Inc., Seafreeze Fleet LLC
Advancing American Freedom, Pelican Institute, America First Legal Foundation
Click here for a rundown of the briefs with selected quotes from each.
United States District Court for the District of Columbia
February 19, 2020: Complaint and Exhibits
June 8, 2020: Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgement
August 14, 2020: Plaintiffs’ Reply Brief
June 15, 2021: District Court Opinion
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
November 16, 2021: Appellants’ Opening Brief
January 6, 2022: Appellants’ Reply Brief
February 8, 2022: Oral Argument Recording
August 12, 2022: DC Circuit Opinion
Media

Paul Clement on the Hugh Hewitt Show
Former Solicitor General Paul Clement has argued 100+ cases before the United States Supreme Court, but we really need SCOTUS to have him back to argue the merits of “chevron deference” in the case of Loper Bright Enterprises.

Ryan Mulvey on the Lars Larson Show
TheLarsLarsonShow · Ryan Mulvey – Why does the Chevron doctrine force fishermen to give up 20% of their pay?

Fate of NJ Fishermen in the Hands of Supreme Court
Final brief urges SCOTUS to reject fed’s attempt to sidestep the Constitution, overrule Chevron

18 State Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS Review of Chevron Deference
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Davis, james@touchdownstrategies.com, (703) 635-5600 Contact: James Valvo, media@causeofaction.org * * * 18 State Attorneys General File Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS Review of Chevron Deference 14 amicus briefs filed by 39 organizations, individuals, and states WASHINGTON, DC, December 18, 2022—Eighteen state attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court […]

ICYMI: Paul Clement; Cause of Action Institute Petition SCOTUS to Review Chevron in Fishermen Case
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Davis, james@touchdownstrategies.com, (703) 635-5600 Contact: James Valvo, media@causeofaction.org * * * IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Paul Clement; Cause of Action Institute Petition SCOTUS to Review Chevron in Fishermen Case Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement and Cause of Action Institute petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on […]

NJ Fishermen Ask Supreme Court to End Unlawful, Job-Killing Mandate
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Davis, james@touchdownstrategies.com, (703) 635-5600 Contact: James Valvo, media@causeofaction.org * * * Paul Clement unites with Cause of Action Institute to petition Court to overrule Chevron deference Bureaucrats bypass Congress to force herring fishermen to pay for at-sea monitors WASHINGTON, DC, November 10, 2022—Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul […]

Court Filings: Loper Bright Enterprises, Inc v. Gina Raimondo
Read important filings and follow updates in the case:

Herring fishermen appeal district court decision upholding industry-killing at-sea monitoring regulations
Washington D.C. – Cause of Action Institute today filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on behalf of several family-owned fishing companies based in New Jersey, who hope to block a new regulation that would force them to pay for […]

Family Fishermen Move to Block Industry-Killing At-Sea Monitoring Rule
Herring Fishermen are Fighting Burdensome Regulation, COVID-19, and New, Unlawful Monitoring Requirements to Stay Afloat Arlington, VA (June 8, 2020) – Cause of Action Institute (CoA Institute) today filed a motion for summary judgement on behalf of a group of New Jersey fishermen, asking a D.C. Federal Court to vacate […]

Family Fishermen Challenge Illegal, Industry-Killing At-Sea Monitoring Rule from Department of Commerce
The federal government finalized this regulation despite having no authority from Congress to do so

CoA Institute Highlights Deficiencies in Proposed Rule to Shift Burdensome Costs of At-Sea Monitoring to Commercial Fishermen
The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), seeks to approve and implement a controversial set of regulatory amendments that would create a new industry-funding requirement for at-sea monitoring in the Atlantic herring fishery and, moreover, create a standardized process for introducing […]
In the News
The National Agricultural Law Center: Ag and Food Law Daily Update: August 16, 2022
Herring Fishermen Must Pay for At-Sea Federal Monitoring Program, Maya Earls, Bloomberg Law
D.C. Circuit Review – Reviewed: Looking for a Theme …, Aaron L. Nielson, Yale Journal on Regulation
Fishermen lose challenge to rule requiring at-sea monitors, Sebastien Malo, Reuters
Fishermen file lawsuit against herring at-sea monitoring rule, Chris Chase, Seafood Source