Opinion ID: 725553
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: preemption and deference to agency interpretation

Text: 13 The Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the Constitution provides Congress with the power to preempt state law. Independent Energy Producers Ass'n, Inc. v. California Pub. Util. Comm'n, 36 F.3d 848, 853 (9th Cir.1994). Preemption can occur in a number of circumstances, including  'where the state law stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full objectives of Congress.'  Id. (quoting Louisiana Pub. Serv. Comm'n v. FCC, 476 U.S. 355, 368-69, 106 S.Ct. 1890, 90 L.Ed.2d 369 (1986)).  'Preemption may result not only from action taken by Congress itself; a federal agency acting within the scope of its congressionally delegated authority may pre-empt state regulation.'  Id. (quoting Louisiana Pub. Serv. Comm'n, 476 U.S. at 369, 106 S.Ct. at 1898-99). 14 The Secretary of Education has promulgated an official interpretation stating that regulations issued under 20 U.S.C. § 1082(a) preempt inconsistent state law governing pre-litigation collection activities by third-party debt collectors. We defer to the specific policy decisions of an administrative agency unless they are arbitrary, capricious or manifestly contrary to statute. United States v. Strong, 79 F.3d 925, 928 (9th Cir.1996) (citation omitted). We must give substantial deference to an agency's interpretation of its own regulations. Thomas Jefferson Univ. v. Shalala, 512 U.S. 504, ----, 114 S.Ct. 2381, 2386, 129 L.Ed.2d 405 (1994) (citations omitted). Our task is not to decide which among several competing interpretations best serves the regulatory purpose. Rather, the agency's interpretation must be given 'controlling weight unless it is plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulation.'  Id.