Case Study

Putting a Human Face on Bureaucratic Overreach

Challenges

NOAA imposed unlawful financial burdens on fishermen, causing significant economic harm.
The case was not just a legal battle but also a fight against a long-standing administrative doctrine (Chevron).
Ensuring the Supreme Court would take up the case required not only legal advocacy but also a compelling public narrative.
Breaking into a crowded media space with a story that started as a regulatory issue affecting a niche community (fishermen).

Overview

For over three decades, NOAA held authority to require observers on commercial fishing boats. When the agency ran out of funds to monitor the Atlantic herring fisheries, it shifted the financial burden to fishermen without congressional authorization. Several fishermen, represented by our client, petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene, challenging both the overreach and the broader Chevron doctrine, which had allowed administrative expansion unchecked by judicial oversight. Touchdown Strategies was retained to drive awareness of this case, targeting Supreme Court influencers to secure the Court’s attention.

Touchdown Strategies was retained to drive awareness of this case, targeting Supreme Court influencers to secure the Court’s attention.

Solution

Touchdown Strategies focused on humanizing the issue by telling the fishermen’s personal stories. Key tactics included:

Launching an exclusive AP story through its fishing reporter, sparking widespread media attention.
Producing a five-minute documentary highlighting the detrimental impact of NOAA’s actions on the fishermen, paired with a dedicated website to support the case.
Distributing the video to national media figures and securing coverage on a daily national radio show listened to by several Supreme Court justices.
Generating a personal testimonial op-ed in National Review, and ensuring continuous media exposure through talk radio, major networks, and influential print outlets.
Earning significant coverage from Good Morning America, ABC News, and The Wall Street Journal, promoting these stories extensively on social media.
Touchdown Strategies’ efforts resulted in over 100 million unique online impressions from these stories.

The AP story generated significant coverage when our client filed a cert petition.

Media Coverage

Results

Touchdown Strategies’ efforts directly contributed to the Supreme Court granting a review of the fishermen’s case. In June 2024, the Court ruled in favor of the fishermen, overturning the Chevron doctrine, a landmark decision reshaping administrative law and bringing justice to the fishermen.

Immediately following one segment, Good Morning America requested a copy of the documentary.

Conclusion

By focusing on personal narratives and leveraging a multi-channel media strategy, Touchdown Strategies not only helped bring national attention to the plight of the fishermen but also contributed to a significant legal victory. The strategic storytelling and media outreach resulted in over 81,291,800 unique impressions and positioned the case in front of key Supreme Court influencers, ultimately playing a role in the landmark ruling.

unique impressions

1000000

We tied the launch of the video to the debut of a website dedicated to the case.