On Jun. 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a nationwide ban on cultivation of biotech alfalfa by Monsanto. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the 7-1 majority that the U.S. District Court in San Francisco “abused its discretion” in 2007 when it ruled that the government needed to examine the modified breed’s environmental impact.

U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer, brother of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, ruled in 2007 that United States Department of Agriculture’s study failed to address those concerns.