Supreme Court Rules for Monsanto in Major Roundup Cancer Liability Case

The case centered on Missouri resident John Durnell, who successfully argued in lower courts that his non-Hodgkin lymphoma was caused by exposure to Roundup. While the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen over a decade ago, the Supreme Court’s majority, led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, concluded that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) prevents states from imposing their own labeling requirements.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing in dissent alongside Justice Neil Gorsuch, argued the ruling misinterprets federal law to unjustifiably close courthouse doors to plaintiffs. Critics of the decision, including legal experts and public health advocates, contend the ruling grants chemical manufacturers broad immunity from accountability. Environmental groups pointed to the Trump administration’s active lobbying in favor of Bayer as a contradiction to the President’s stated focus on public health. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, stated the ruling is a critical step toward containing nearly a decade of litigation and resolving ongoing settlement negotiations.