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Monsanto Co. v. Durnell — SCOTUS (argued April 27, 2026)

No. 24-1068 Argued April 27, 2026 Published July 4, 2026; updated August 16, 2026

The Supreme Court considers whether federal pesticide law blocks a Missouri failure-to-warn verdict over Roundup. John Durnell said about twenty years of using the herbicide caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a jury found Monsanto should have added a cancer warning. The EPA had approved Roundup's label without one. FIFRA, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, treats a pesticide as misbranded if its label is false, misleading, or omits a necessary health warning. Preemption means federal law displaces conflicting state law. Monsanto says FIFRA bars Missouri from imposing an extra warning and federal rules prevented it from adding one without EPA approval. Durnell says registration is only rebuttable evidence of compliance, so a parallel state claim may proceed. The Court later reversed, seven to two, holding FIFRA expressly preempted Durnell's claim.

Monsanto Co. v. Durnell (No. 24-1068) — Supreme Court of the United States, argued April 27, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/media/audio/mp3files/24-1068.mp3
Argument transcript — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/24-1068_fcgj.pdf
Case docket — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1068.html
7 U.S.C. § 136a — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section136a&num=0&edition=prelim
7 U.S.C. § 136q — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section136q&num=0&edition=prelim
7 U.S.C. § 136v — U.S. House of Representatives:https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section136v&num=0&edition=prelim
Brief for Monsanto:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1068/397048/20260223143047764_24-1068%20Final%20Monsanto%20Co.%20v%20Durnell%20merits%20opening%20brief.pdf
Brief for the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1068/399785/20260302183259184_24-1068%20Monsanto%20tsac.pdf
Brief for John Durnell:https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1068/401848/20260325162306480_24-1068%20Brief.pdf
Decision — Supreme Court of the United States:https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1068_n7ip.pdf
Paul D. Clement — Clement & Murphy:https://www.clementmurphy.com/who-we-are/paul-clement/
Ashley C. Keller — Keller Postman:https://www.kellerpostman.com/our-team/ashley-keller/

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