← Legal Glossary
Standard of Review
Definition
The level of scrutiny a court applies when reviewing lower court or agency decisions. Different standards (de novo, clear error, substantial evidence, arbitrary and capricious) require different degrees of deference to the lower decision-maker. The parties dispute which standard applies to the SEC's statutory interpretation.
Examples
- •The petitioner argues the Ninth Circuit applied an improper standard of review by deferring too heavily to the SEC's statutory interpretation