MAHA loses in key Supreme Court ruling
Key takeaways
- The case was brought on the claim of cancer patient John Durnell, who sued Monsanto, saying the company did not give an adequate warning of cancer risk related to its popular Roundup weedkiller.
- Kennedy Jr. s defense of those moves has deepened the sense of disillusionment among his followers who helped deliver President Trump to the White House.
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Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
The case was brought on the claim of cancer patient John Durnell, who sued Monsanto, saying the company did not give an adequate warning of cancer risk related to its popular Roundup weedkiller. In a 7-2 ruling led by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court ruled in favor of Bayer, which owns Monsanto. The court ruled that under current law, states can t require more information on a pesticide label than what the federal government requires. The MAHA movement has united around the idea that pesticide companies should not be shielded from liability, and MAHA supporters helped push Congress to eliminate language in the farm bill that would have given pesticide makers liability protections. The issue has become a pain point between MAHA and many of its Republicans allies, including in the Trump administration, which backed Monsanto s Supreme Court bid. Many activists in the MAHA base are furious with the Trump administration over its backing of not only glyphosate but also pesticides more broadly.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. s defense of those moves has deepened the sense of disillusionment among his followers who helped deliver President Trump to the White House. MAHA activists slammed the ruling. The Supreme Court s ruling in favor of foreign chemical companies, which essentially allows them immunity from lawsuits, is a travesty against the American Constitution and federal and state laws … it allows chemical companies to continue to poison the American people and our soils with impunity, said Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America. For decades, Republicans have preached about the importance of states rights and pro-life values, but today s ruling in favor of Bayer-Monsanto s right to shield themselves from cancer lawsuits is more proof that this is just empty rhetoric from a morally bankrupt party and a Supreme Court that continues to put corporate profits over the health of Americans, said David Murphy, founder of United We Eat and former finance director for Kennedy s presidential campaign.
Welcome to The Hill s Healthcare newsletter, we re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.