Loper decision is a victory for representative democracy

The Loper family own Loper Bright Enterprises, a modest New England-based fishing business. They pursue the same dream shared by many Americans – to provide their customers with quality service at a fair price while making a good living.

Recently, however, the bureaucrats at the National Marine Fisheries Service had other ideas. The agency's budget was tight, so they decided to make the Lopers, along with similar family-owned businesses, pay for a government on-board inspector by charging them $710 a day.

When the Lopers protested the bureaucrats at NMFS had a pat answer. They claimed that whe...