Supreme Court backs Monsanto in fight over popular weed killer : NPR
“The People vs Poison” protesters gather at the Supreme Court on April 27 ahead of arguments in the Roundup weed killer case. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images The Supreme Court agreed to shield Monsanto from liability over its popular weed killer, Roundup, dealing a victory to the company’s new owner as it struggles to resolve thousands of costly lawsuits from people who claim the key ingredient caused their cancers. The central issue in the case, filed by Missouri resident John Durnell, is who decides what should appear on a pesticide or insecticide label — and whether a federal law overrides state claims. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a 7-2 opinion that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) expressly preempts state law and Monsanto’s failure to warn consumers about the dangers of glyphosate. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Neil Gorsuch joined. Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, argued that a federal law gives the power to set the label to the U.S. Environmental Protection …







