The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to block lawsuits that accuse Bayer of failing to warn users about the cancer risks posed by the company’s Roundup weedkiller.
What are the details of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roundup?
The conservative-majority US top court in a 7-2 decision overturned a Missouri ruling that awarded $1.25 million (€1.1 million) to a man named John Darnell.
Darnell had argued that years of use of the Roundup weedkiller had caused him to be diagnosed with blood cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classification in Darnell’s case cited that a key ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, a possible human carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer is part of the United Nations’ World Health Organization.
However, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not classify glyphosate as a carcinogen and has approved the sale of Roundup without a warning label.
US Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative appointed by US President Donald Trump, said that Darnell’s argument “would require Monsanto to add a cancer warning to Roundup’s label, even though federal law requires Monsanto to use EPA-approved labels without cancer warnings.”
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a left-leaning judge appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, called the decision “remarkable and regrettable, as it inappropriately closes the court’s door to a state that harasses plaintiffs like Darnell.”
Neil Gorsuch, a conservative judge appointed by Trump, joined Jackson in the dissent.
Bayer described this decision as good for science, farmers and industry.
Monsanto originally manufactured Roundup, Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018.
Germany-headquartered biotech and agrochemical company Bayer praised the decision in a statement.
Bayer said the decision is “good for science, farmers and industries that depend on regulatory clarity for innovation.”
“This will significantly help bring Roundup litigation to a close after nearly a decade of legal battles,” the company said.
Bayer shares rose after the US Supreme Court decision.
The Trump administration has supported Bayer in the legal fight; Trump also signed an executive order to boost glyphosate production in the US. That executive order has faced criticism from the Make America Healthy Again movement affiliated with the Trump White House.
Supreme Court’s decision received bipartisan setback
Members of Trump’s Republican Party and opposition Democrats criticized the decision.
“The Supreme Court ruled to protect Roundup,” U.S. Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina wrote on X.
“The health of the American people must come before the profits of corporate giants. Every time. Americans have a right to know what they have been exposed to.”
“This is a devastating blow in our fight to hold big pesticide companies accountable for the harm caused by their toxic chemicals,” said Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez
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