The most important Supreme Court case you've probably never heard of
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case that, although it hasn’t grabbed nearly as many headlines as some of the court's recent high-profile rulings, could end up being one of the most consequential decisions in recent court history — with profound implications on how the government works and what it’s able to do on behalf of the public.
On the surface, the case centers around arcane disputes over commercial fishing rules that few people outside of the industry would care about.
But in reality, it represents a direct challenge to one of the most important legal precedents of the past several decades. That decision, issued nearly 40 years ago, has allowed the federal government to set policy on everything from water safety to public health to environmental protection.
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The Clean Air Act, for example, directs the government to “protect and enhance the quality of the Nation's air resources.” It’s up to the Environmental Protection Agency to decide how to “protect” or “enhance” air quality by choosing things like which pollutants should be banned, how much of certain toxins can be released into the air and how to spend federal dollars allocated for clean air.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-most-important-supreme-court-case-youve-probably-never-heard-of-213839898.html
