In a recent case, the D.C. Circuit showed us how the U.S.
Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v.
Raimondo could affect a swath of regulatory enforcement
matters.
The case is Amazon Services v. U.S. Department of
Agriculture, No. 22-1052 (July 26, 2024). There, a set of
federal statutes authorized the Department of Agriculture to
penalize companies that "aid, abet, cause, or induce" the
unlawful importation of certain products. Overseas sellers were
shipping those products to Amazon fulfillment centers in the United
States for further distribution. The Department determined that
Amazon, by making its fulfillment centers available and providing
fulfilment services, had aided, abetted, caused, or induced the
sellers' unlawful importations. The Department fined Amazon $1
million.
