Victory at the Supreme Court

The Chevron Deference falls - and the Homeless Industrial Complex with it.

Dear Readers,

Last Friday was a momentous day for decisions at the Supreme Court.

The Chevron Deference fell on Friday after 40 years of warping our public policy and giving undue power to administrative agencies. This matters for business, citizens, and the rule of law.

I sent an update to our Cicero Institute network about what it means - and the role we played in the decision in the important case of Grants Pass v. Johnson.

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Dear Cicero Institute Supporters, 

What a week at the US Supreme Court! 

A major decision has overturned the long-standing “Chevron Deference,” which gave unprecedented and undue power to the administrative state by preventing our judicial system from interpreting vague statutes. For 40 years, the Chevron decision forced reliance on bureaucrats for what the law means. It upset the balance of power that our Founders intended between the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The principled decision to reverse it is welcome news; I've been eager to see this ever since I studied abuse of bureaucratic power, and constitutional checks on government, in my youth. This ruling will allow us to confront the administrative state more aggressively than ever before. 

In a different case, we played a direct role.

Earlier this year, the Cicero Institute filed an amicus brief in the case City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, which dealt with the question of homelessness, and the right of cities to clean up public spaces. On Friday, the court delivered a significant majority opinion overturning a disastrous 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that prevented cities from removing encampments.

It’s a major in the battle for competent policy. This ruling enables local governments to reclaim control and enforce public camping bans to maintain safe and clean streets – camping bans like the ones we have crafted and enacted in multiple states outside the 9^th Circuit. When enforced, these bans help prevent crime, sex-trafficking, and the decline of our cities.

Ours was one of just a few briefs in support of the City of Grants Pass, the petitioner in this case. Data and phrasing from these briefs made an impact on the opinion of the court, written by Justice Gorsuch. We want to thank Leonard Leo, a legal giant whose advice and support of our brief was essential.

The Cicero Institute is a non-partisan organization, and this legal victory was celebrated across the aisle, including by many moderates who govern California and its cities and are trying to apply sanity and common sense. 

We worked hard this legislative session to help states combat the growing homelessness crisis, and it paid off. Our team saw wins from Kentucky to Oklahoma, Georgia to Utah, and Florida to Louisiana; these victories are reshaping the policy discussion. And now, every state can now implement solutions that focus on accountability rather than allowing problems to persist. This is a game-changer for the Western U.S., where misguided policies have allowed encampments to grow unchecked for years, spreading misery. It will foster safer streets and more robust communities where families feel safe, and businesses thrive. 

With your support we will maintain this momentum. Your backing drives our efforts to fix broken systems and provide people with the assistance they need. Let's continue winning together. 

Thank you for standing with us. Your partnership is invaluable, and we are deeply grateful for it. 

Sincerely, 

Joe Lonsdale

Chairman and Founder