- 15 - & Williamson Tobacco Corp., 529 U.S. 120 (2000). In determining whether the statute is clear for purposes of the Chevron doctrine, the Supreme Court reiterated the “fundamental canon” of statutory construction that “the words of a statute must be read in their context and with a view to their place in the overall statutory scheme” and that a reviewing court performing a Chevron analysis must “fit, if possible, all parts into an harmonious whole”. Id. at 133 (citations omitted). The Supreme Court enunciated the further principle that “the meaning of one statute may be affected by other Acts, particularly where Congress has spoken subsequently and more specifically to the topic at hand”. Id. “At the time a statute is enacted, it may have a range of plausible meanings. Over time, however, subsequent acts can shape or focus those meanings.” Id. at 143. Applying these principles, the Supreme Court in Brown & Williamson concluded that the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, ch. 675, 52 Stat. 1040 (Act) (1938), currently codified at 21 U.S.C. secs. 301, 321(g) and (h), 393 (2000), must be interpreted under Chevron to preclude Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco, even though the Act gave the FDA authority to regulate “drugs” and “combination products” and defined those terms in a manner that on its face might appear to cover nicotine and cigarettes, respectively. The Supreme Court reached this conclusion because, notwithstanding that nicotinePage: Previous 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011