Procopio v. Wilkie
In brief
The Supreme Court refused to hear the case, so the Federal Circuit’s decision stayed in place and the Supreme Court did not resolve the legal dispute.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided · May 4, 2020
- What it’s about
- The Supreme Court declined to review the case, leaving the Federal Circuit’s decision in place.
- Who it affects
- The Federal Circuit’s decision remains in place for this case, but the Supreme Court did not decide whether the pro-veteran rule overrides deference to the VA.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The dispute concerned whether courts must favor veterans when a benefits statute is unclear, rather than defer to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ interpretation under the Chevron doctrine; the government prevailed because the Court did not disturb the lower-court ruling.
The dispute involved two competing ways to read an unclear veterans-benefits law: favor the veteran or give weight to the VA’s interpretation.
Question presented
Whether the “pro-veteran canon”—which requires that “interpretive doubt [be] resolved in the veteran’s favor,” Brown v. Gardner, 513 U.S. 115, 118 (1994)—overcomes the deference to an administrative agency’s interpretation of an ambiguous statute required by Chevron, U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984)?
What the Court decided
Holding
Petition DENIED.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. The Federal Circuit’s decision remains in place, but this petition produced no Supreme Court ruling on the legal question.
Documents
Opinions
Key filings
Docket activity
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AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
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Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.