In response to the Supreme Court’s recent rulings in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce, which effectively overturns the Chevron doctrine, Rise Economy Chief Executive Officer Paulina Gonzalez-Brito issued the following statement:

“Federal rules and enforcement activities protect the rights, opportunities and quality of life of consumers, homeowners, residents, small businesses, communities and all who benefit from a healthy environment. Unfortunately, these two rulings have upended 40 years of jurisprudence that afforded critical protections by allowing courts to defer to reasonable interpretations of ambiguous aspects of federal laws by federal agencies equipped with necessary expertise. While these rulings were expected, it may not be clear for some time how profound its implications will be for the well-being of California communities. 

“What is clear is corporations will now find it easier to sue to overturn federal rules they don’t want to follow. This is especially true when corporations and their trade associations select courts with conservative judges who are likely to replace the reasoned analysis of federal regulatory agency experts with their own ideological views. We need the federal regulators to stand strong, to do their jobs and to fulfill their obligations to protect the public, despite industry challenges.

“These decisions are the culmination of years of effort by right-wing conservative operatives who have wanted to undermine our system of federal oversight of industry actors in order to favor corporate interests over the public interest. Community and consumer voices need to organize and fight back to push court reform, win elections, and advance an agenda that works for all of us.

“The decisions also highlight the critical role of banks, credit unions, fintech firms, mortgage companies and other financial institutions who have increasingly used the courts to weaken or dismantle regulatory rulemaking. In the last year, Rise Economy has repeatedly called out banks, financial firms, and their trade associations on these attacks against critical rules that would advance civil rights, consumer protection, community reinvestment and climate justice. 

“The Supreme Court has now made it easier for corporations and industry groups to evade federal accountability.   

“Rise Economy and our members will continue to fight to ensure banks, their trade associations and corporations are held accountable for their actions and policies that harm BIPOC and working-class communities in California.”