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John Durnell just wanted to make things around his St. Louis neighborhood look a little nicer. So, on occasion, he’d spray a bit of Roundup in the obvious places — along weedy sidewalks and in public spaces he thought needed a little extra attention.

Decades later, after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Durnell is recovering from blood cancer that a Missouri jury found in 2023 was caused by his exposure to Roundup, an herbicide manufactured by Monsanto. The jury ordered the company to pay Durnell $1.25 million in damages.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Monsanto’s appeal of Durnell’s victory against the company, a case that is poised to decide the fate of hundreds of similar lawsuits across the country.

Researchers have linked glyphosate, the active ingredient in many Roundup products, to a wide range of harmful effects in pollinators, lab animals and people. In 2023, one study linked Roundup to liver and metabolic disease in children. The World Health Organization has labeled the chemical, the world’s most commonly used herbicide, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

During Monday’s argument, the justices appeared friendly to Monsanto’s argument that states like Missouri are prohibited by federal law from allowing lawsuits against the company for failure to warn consumers about the possible risks of cancer.

RFK Jr. Supports Trump Push to Ramp Up Glyphosate Output, Angering MAHA Backers

Paul Clement, a well-respected appellate lawyer, represented Monsanto in the case, arguing that allowing state suits for failure-to-warn claims would impose “crippling liability” for companies like Monsanto. A federal law known as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), exclusively governs herbicide and pesticide labeling, not states, Clement argued.

Departing from the federal government’s previous position under the Biden Administration, a lawyer representing the Trump........

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