The Bureaucrat's Grammarian: A Trilogy

Three times this month, the Supreme Court has released opinions in which it was called upon to determine whether a federal agency's construction of its own bailiwick was reasonable.

Twice it was, once it was not.

Although they were written by justices with very different bents or reputations, all three opinions were unanimous.

Given their proximity, their similarity, and their unanimity, the opinions might reveal something about this court's approach to the regulatory state.

After the jump a few words about:

• Holder v. Gutieerrez written by Justice Kagan;
• Astrue v. Capato written by Justice Ginsberg; and
• Freeman v. Quicken Loans written by Justice Scalia

Words mean things.