Bill > S33

This bill, known as the Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2025 (SOPRA), proposes significant changes to how courts review agency interpretations of laws and regulations. Specifically, the bill amends Section 706 of title 5 of the United States Code to require courts to review agency interpretations of statutory, regulatory, and constitutional provisions "de novo," which means the court would review these interpretations completely anew without deferring to the agency's understanding. The bill eliminates previous language that limited judicial review and explicitly states that this new standard of review applies to all judicial reviews of agency actions, regardless of the specific law authorizing the review. This change is designed to reduce the traditional judicial deference to administrative agencies' interpretations of laws (often referred to as "Chevron deference," based on a previous Supreme Court case), effectively giving courts more power to independently interpret laws and regulations instead of deferring to agency interpretations. The bill includes language ensuring that no other law can exempt civil actions from this new standard of review unless it specifically references this section.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/33/all-info