Booker urges Supreme Court to allow Roundup cancer lawsuits to proceed
The filing supports a plaintiff who alleges Monsanto failed to warn consumers about cancer risks tied to Roundup, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.
Updated on: April 1, 2026 / 7:30 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — Democratic Sen. Cory Booker filed a legal brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday backing cancer patients in a high-stakes case that could determine whether thousands of lawsuits over the weedkiller Roundup can proceed — and drawing a direct contrast with the Trump administration's position.
The case — Monsanto Company v. John L. Durnell — centers on whether federal law governing pesticide labeling overrides state-level claims that the company did not adequately warn users about potential health risks.
If the court sides with Monsanto, it could significantly limit or block many of the lawsuits brought by people who say long-term exposure to Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. A ruling against the company would allow those cases to continue moving through state courts.
Bayer, Monsanto's parent company, has paid more than $10 billion to resolve earlier Roundup-related claims and is now pursuing a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to address additional cases.