Kisor v. Wilkie

This case asked whether courts should keep following the Auer/Seminole Rock rule, which tells judges to defer to an agency's reading of its own unclear regulation. It arose after James Kisor, a Vietnam veteran, sought earlier disability benefits and the lower courts deferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs' interpretation of its regulation.

The case was argued on March 27, 2019, and decided on June 26, 2019, but the prompt does not provide the vote or opinion lineup.

The case matters because it concerns how much power agencies have when their own rules are unclear. That can affect veterans seeking benefits, businesses challenging regulations, and anyone dealing with federal agencies.

The Supreme Court has finished this case. For the practical rule going forward, lawyers, agencies, and lower courts would look to the Court's June 26, 2019 opinion.

The dispute was over whether courts should defer to an agency's reading of its own unclear regulation. Kisor challenged that approach in his veterans benefits case.

It could shape how much weight agencies get when their regulations are unclear. That can influence benefits cases, regulatory disputes, and court challenges nationwide.

There was no further Supreme Court step in this docket action. The Court decided the case on June 26, 2019, and the opinion became the guide for future cases.