“But if states have the power to ban, why don’t they have the power to provide tort relief?”
— Justice Neil M. Gorsuch,
Supreme Court Justice
Monsanto seeks immunity from pesticide harm
Do pesticides cause cancer?
Hundreds of juries and courts across the country think so.
Billions have been awarded to farmers and other pesticide and herbicide users through court-awarded damages and settlements, many paid out by Monsanto, the Bayer-owned maker of Roundup.
However, while the health impacts of agrichemicals reached the nation’s highest court this week, it wasn’t over the question of cancer’s link to pesticides.
Instead, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked whether individuals should be allowed to sue pesticide makers over cancer claims, even if there’s compelling evidence.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said agrichemicals are safe, and Monsanto believes that should trump any state-level action.
I was in the Supreme Court chamber on Monday to hear arguments in the case and the nine justices seemed somewhat divided on the issue. I wrote about the case here, which is likely to have a ruling sometime this summer.
“This is not your average Supreme Court case,” declared SCOTUSblog, which reports on the court. The case could impact thousands of pending lawsuits against giant agrochemical companies, state-level policies and the future of one of the agriculture industry’s most powerful corporations.
The case also pits President Trump against a bloc of supporters — many of whom are members of the Make America Healthy Again coalition — who have long pushed for reduced pesticide use.
Investigate Midwest has been closely covering this issue, which includes a live virtual panel next week, which you’re invited to attend.
— Ben Felder, editor-in-chief
Watchdog group alleges Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins violated ethics rules
By Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has maintained “close ties” — including substantial bonuses before her confirmation — with her former employers in an alleged violation of federal laws and her ethics agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a report released last Thursday from a nonprofit watchdog group.
The Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C.-based group focused on campaign finance reform, filed its complaint with the USDA’s Office of Inspector General. Last year, President Trump fired the office’s longtime head and installed a senior advisor to Brooke Rollins.
The center said public officials are expected to act impartially.
“The public has a right to know that government officials are using their positions in service of the public’s best interest and not favoring the interests of their former employers or clients,” the legal center wrote in its complaint.
DATA HARVEST: Bayer lobbying rebounds as Roundup legal fight reaches Supreme Court
By Lauren Cross, Investigate Midwest
Bayer increased its federal lobbying spending in the first quarter of 2026 ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments on Monday in a case involving Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018.
New federal disclosures show Bayer reported just over $2 million in lobbying expenses from January through March, up from $1.75 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. The increase follows a drop in spending during the second half of last year after Bayer’s quarterly lobbying peaked at $2.95 million in early 2025.
ICYMI: Who gets compensated?
This story is worth revisiting after Bayer's Monsanto returned to the Supreme Court this week over Roundup liability. Our January 2023 story highlights the case of a farmworker who said Roundup caused her cancer and was denied access to a settlement because she was not a U.S. citizen. It raised questions about accountability and who receives compensation.
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