Monsanto Company, et al. v. Geertson Seed Farms, et al.

Case Updates

The Supreme Court held that a district court did not have the authority to issue an injunction to stop the deregulation of particular alfalfa seeds. The Supreme Court ruled that the district court failed to consider a less drastic alternative, such as a partial or temporary deregulation, and also noted that an injunction is a drastic remedy that should not be granted as a matter of course.

NCLC urged the Supreme Court to review whether a court may issue an injunction based on a very low possibility of harm because the government will be examining the level of harm in a later Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proceeding. In this case, a company sought deregulation of particular alfalfa seeds. Citing the Department of Agriculture’s failure to conduct an adequate EIS, a district court granted an injunction to stop the deregulation. NCLC argued that a court must have evidence of likely irreparable harm before issuing injunctive relief. NCLC also warned that if the decision below stands, federal judges will have unconstrained power to issue injunctions in National Environmental Policy Act cases.