Updated
Updated · Mother Jones · Aug 21
Supreme Court Blocks Roundup Cancer Suits in 7-2 Ruling, Shielding Bayer From Labeling Claims
Updated
Updated · Mother Jones · Aug 21

Supreme Court Blocks Roundup Cancer Suits in 7-2 Ruling, Shielding Bayer From Labeling Claims

3 articles · Updated · Mother Jones · Aug 21

Summary

  • A 7-2 Supreme Court ruling last month barred people from suing Bayer under state labeling laws over claims that Roundup caused their cancer.
  • The justices said federal pesticide law leaves warning-label decisions to the EPA alone, cutting off state-law claims that Bayer failed to disclose cancer risks.
  • Bayer has already faced more than $12 billion in legal costs and payouts tied to Roundup litigation and says the herbicide is safe when used as directed.
  • EPA has continued to say glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer even after determining Monsanto had ghostwritten a widely cited safety study and calling it research misconduct.
  • The ruling lands as scrutiny of glyphosate broadens beyond courtrooms, with California forest spraying drawing protests and congressional questions to the US Forest Service.

Insights

Can a controversial 2026 Supreme Court ruling save Bayer billions while California forests become testing grounds for hidden chemical risks?
With the Supreme Court shielding pesticide makers from state warnings, who will protect Lake Tahoe's watershed from record-breaking chemical spraying?
If the EPA admits key safety studies were ghostwritten, why is the Forest Service still quadrupling its toxic herbicide use?