Supreme Court blocks lawsuits over chemical risks

The Supreme Court has handed a victory to industry and a setback to chemical safety advocates. In a seven-to-two ruling, justices decided that consumers cannot sue manufacturers in state courts for failing to warn about product hazards—specifically, blocking lawsuits against Monsanto over Roundup's glyphosate. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that federal pesticide law overrides state court claims: Monsanto must use the EPA-approved label, which contains no cancer warning. The decision exposes a regulatory divide. The 'Make America Healthy Again' movement, backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, has long argued that glyphosate is an environmental toxin linked to chronic disease. But the EPA, which oversees pesticide approval, has not classified it as harmful—effectively allowing competing claims to persist without judicial resolution. Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch dissented. According to Axios, Monsanto praised the court for providing what it called 'regulatory clarity for innovation.'

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