12892 highlights the breadth of what it means for an Agency’s position to be an “unfair surprise,” as discussed in Christopher v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., 567 U.S. 142 (2012). In Christopher, the Supreme Court noted that agencies are required to provide fair warning regarding the conduct that a regulation requires or prohibits and can’t rely on principles of judicial interpretation to save an unfairly-vague rule or give it enforceable “teeth” ex post. See 567 U.S. at 156. E.O. 13892 explains that agencies “must avoid unfair surprise not only when it imposes penalties but also whenever it adjudges past conduct to have violated the law.” E.O. 13892 appears to be a step in the right direction to help inform practitioners (and others) about the practical implications of otherwise innocuous conduct. When an agency states a position in sub-regulatory guidance, the law has long recognized that the agency may not stand on that guidance as the last word; rather, the agency must entertain alternative positions. “Interpretive rules do not have the force and effect of law and are not accorded that weight in the adjudicatory process.” Perez v. Mortgage Bankers Ass’n., 135 S.Ct. 1199, 1204 (2015). E.O. 13892 § 6 requires the agency to give an aggrieved person an opportunity to be heard to contest an agency guidance position, and give a written decision that articulates a basis for its action. Biden revisions One of President Biden's first executive orders rescinded President Trump's Executive Orders 13771, 13777, 13891, 13892, and 13893 Executive Order 13992, Executive Order on Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Federal Regulation (Jan. 20, 2021), reprinted 86 Fed. Reg. 7049 (Jan. 27, 2021). References Executive orders of Bill Clinton