Supreme Court Hears Monsanto Bid to Block Cancer Warning Lawsuits Over Glyphosate

Oral arguments were presented to the US Supreme Court in the case of Monsanto v. Durnell, which may clarify whether federal pesticide regulations supersede state lawsuits alleging failure to warn about glyphosate, the active component in Roundup, deemed a probable human carcinogen by the WHO in 2015. Bayer is currently facing more than 100,000 lawsuits from individuals with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Monsanto contends that FIFRA shields them from liability for warnings not mandated by the EPA, which asserts that glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic. Attorney Paul Clement emphasized that FIFRA prohibits label modifications without EPA consent. The DOJ backed Monsanto, while opposing counsel Ashley Keller argued against broad preemption. In 2022, the 9th Circuit overturned the EPA's findings on glyphosate. Outside the courthouse, protesters gathered.