Under Chevron deference, what does a court do if the statute is ambiguous?

• A. The agency's interpretation always controls, regardless of ambiguity.
• B. The court applies the plain meaning of an unambiguous statute.
• C. If the statute is ambiguous, the court ignores any agency interpretations.
• D. If the statute is ambiguous, defer to the agency's reasonable interpretation; if the statute is unambiguous, courts apply the plain meaning.

Answer: (D)

Under Chevron, a court first checks whether the statute is clear. If it is clear, the plain meaning governs. If it’s ambiguous, the court defers to the agency’s reasonable interpretation of the statute. This two-step approach lets courts apply the statute as written when meaning is plain, but recognizes the agency’s expertise in choosing among reasonable interpretations when the language is not sufficient to resolve the dispute.