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New reporting this week in Bloomberg Law highlighted a new lawsuit judge-shopped to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s courtroom in Northern Texas, underscoring the drastic shift in the regulatory landscape following the Supreme Court conservative majority’s decision to overturn Chevron deference. In what is likely the first of many cases exploiting this judicial power grab, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) challenging regulations aimed at protecting show horses from inhumane treatment.

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This is a prime example of how quickly anti-regulation groups are moving to reap the rewards of the new regulatory landscape created by the Supreme Court conservative majority’s power grab ruling to overturn Chevron deference. In this case, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association ran straight to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s courtroom — notorious as a judge shopping hub and key target for anti-regulation rulings — to all but guarantee a favorable ruling. And it’s not just anti-regulatory groups — in the wake of the Chevron deference ruling, big corporations are rushing to strike down safeguards that don’t favor them, but protect millions of ordinary people. Ultimately, this ruling means the federal government will have more difficulty implementing climate solutions, addressing public health needs, ensuring workplace safety, and serving everyday Americans.”

Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone

The case – filed just days after the Supreme Court conservative majority’s ruling – targets USDA rules that would ban devices and practices associated with horse soring, a cruel technique used to accentuate horses’ gaits during shows. The Tennessee-based organization sought out a Texas plaintiff in order to strategically file in Amarillo, Texas, landing the case on the docket of Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who is often targeted by conservative, anti-regulation, and business groups to deliver a favorable ruling. 

Further, this case is the latest example of groups rushing to capitalize on the new regulatory landscape created by the Supreme Court conservative majority’s decision to overturn Chevron deference. The plaintiffs allege that the USDA exceeded its statutory authority in implementing the protections, echoing language from the recent Supreme Court ruling that urges courts to exercise “independent judgment” in assessing agency actions.

As judges have now been granted unprecedented authority to override agency expertise and dismantle critical protections like these, this ruling threatens the federal government’s ability to implement various protective measures that were designed to safeguard ordinary Americans. This judicial overreach could impact everything from climate solutions to workplace safety regulations.

Accountable.US previously highlighted the Supreme Court conservative majority’s decision to overturn Chevron deference as a power grab ruling that gives activist judges the authority to rewrite rules in favor of corporations and special interests and paves the way for Project 2025’s extremist agenda. 

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