This ruling closes one more courthouse door to people harmed by toxic chemicals in products mass-marketed as safe. Photo: Shutterstock
June 25, 2026 (Boston, MA) – In Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, the Supreme Court on June 25 ruled that federal pesticide labeling law blocks certain state-law claims against Monsanto over failure to include a cancer warning on the label of Roundup, a glyphosate-based weedkiller. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement in response.
“Today’s ruling closes one more courthouse door to people harmed by toxic chemicals in products mass-marketed as safe,” said CLF President Brad Campbell. “For New England communities, state laws and state courts are critical backstops when federal protections fall short. At a time when the Trump administration is trying to weaken basic environmental and public health safeguards, this decision moves us in the wrong direction.”
In a 7-2 decision, the Court sided with Monsanto in a case brought by John Durnell, a Missouri man who used Roundup for years and later developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Durnell argued that Monsanto should be held responsible under state law because Roundup’s label did not warn users about alleged cancer risks. The Court said Monsanto cannot be sued under this kind of state-law claim for leaving off a cancer warning that EPA has not required on Roundup’s label.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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