Supreme Court split on blocking thousands of Roundup cancer lawsuits

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday about whether to block thousands of lawsuits claiming the weedkiller Roundup caused cancer, and the justices appeared divided.

The dispute follows a wave of litigation that has produced multibillion‑dollar verdicts against Bayer, the parent of Monsanto, which markets Roundup.

Some justices said federal regulators have found Roundup unlikely to cause cancer and that should bar state lawsuits, while others pressed lawyers on whether that reasoning improperly limits state action as research evolves.

The case was brought by John Durnell of Missouri, who says he developed non‑Hodgkin’s lymphoma after more than 20 years of spraying Roundup in his neighborhood.

The hearing underscores the clash between the Trump administration’s support for Monsanto and allies in the Make America Healthy Again movement who seek tighter pesticide controls.