WASHINGTON (April 8, 2026)--A coalition of former EPA officials have filed a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Monsanto v. Durnell. The case asks whether a federal law shields the pesticide company from lawsuits claiming that the weedkiller known as Roundup causes cancer.
The amicus brief argues that federal law does not preempt state efforts to warn consumers about the safety risks of such products. The amici go on to say that such state efforts complement the EPA’s regulatory process and do not interfere with its authority.
Roundup contains an active ingredient called glyphosate.The weedkiller is used by home gardeners as well as farmers. However, scientific research links glyphosate to cancer in lab animals and in some cases to humans.
Lynn Goldman, a pediatrician and epidemiologist, is one of the amici on the brief filed with the high court and a professor of environmental and occupational health, at the George Washington University. She served as the Dean of the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health until October 2025 and previously was the Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at the EPA. She can discuss the scientific evidence linking glyphosate with cancer as well as EPA’s regulatory process.
To schedule an interview with Dr. Lynn Goldman, please contact Kathy Fackelmann, kfackelmann
gwu [dot] edu (kfackelmann[at]gwu[dot]edu) or GW Media, gwmediagwu [dot] edu (gwmedia[at]gwu[dot]edu).