Supreme Court Rules 7-2 That Monsanto Need Not Add Cancer Warning to Roundup

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on Thursday that Monsanto does not need to add a warning label about potential cancer risk to its Roundup weedkiller. The court held that the company cannot be sued in state courts over failure-to-warn claims because federal regulations do not require such a label.

The justices stated that pesticides must list only health impacts formally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA determined in 2020 that glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic. The Trump administration backed Monsanto in the case.

The Department of Justice presented arguments that companies should be protected from state-court failure-to-warn suits. The case originated with a 2019 lawsuit by Missouri resident John Durnell, who alleged that two decades of Roundup use caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A jury sided with Durnell in 2023.

President Trump issued an executive order aimed at boosting glyphosate production, and the White House officially backed Monsanto in the litigation. In April, President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. , and other officials met privately with MAHA activists.

A MAHA-led coalition later rallied outside the Supreme Court during oral arguments. Kennedy previously won a 2018 case against Monsanto as an environmental lawyer and had defended the administration's glyphosate measures before expressing disagreement after activist criticism.

Senator Cory Booker said he will introduce an amendment to the Senate farm bill to strip pesticide companies of liability protection.

A similar amendment already passed in the House. A representative who led the House effort said she will introduce standalone legislation with the same goal. David Murphy, founder of United We Eat and finance director of Kennedy’s presidential campaign, said the decision could be a tipping point for MAHA voters.