Bayer’s Roundup Immunity Push Sparks Unlikely Protests at Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Bayer AG’s attempt to secure legal immunity from thousands of lawsuits claiming its weedkiller Roundup—containing glyphosate—causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer.

Bayer, the German conglomerate that acquired Monsanto in 2018, has spent over a decade battling more than 100,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs seeking billions in damages. While glyphosate has been linked to cancer in multiple studies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asserts it is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” Meanwhile, President Trump has labeled glyphosate “critical to national defense,” signing an executive order to expand its production.

Bayer is now pushing for a Supreme Court ruling that would shield the company from future lawsuits by cancer patients and their families. Outside the court, protesters—including cancer survivors and an array of unlikely allies—gathered to oppose the move.

Influencers and lawmakers join protests

• The Food Babe and The Glyphosate Girl, known for their Make America Healthy Again advocacy, livestreamed from Washington, D.C.
• Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) addressed the crowd alongside environmental activists from groups like the Center for Biological Diversity.

Congressional opposition to Bayer’s immunity push

On Capitol Hill, Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are leading bipartisan opposition to a proposed provision in the 2026 Farm Bill. The measure, backed by Bayer’s lobbyists, would permanently block state and local governments from issuing pesticide risk warnings, granting Bayer sweeping legal protections.

“This is not to grant farmers immunity. This is to grant corporations immunity. If farmers contract cancer from this chemical, if this makes it into the Farm Bill you won’t be able to sue.”

— Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)

As the Supreme Court weighs Bayer’s immunity request and Congress debates the Farm Bill, state governments continue to use glyphosate in massive quantities, according to an investigation by Nate Halverson.