In Decisive Ruling, Court Finds Government Failed to Protect More Than 1,500 Endangered Species From Toxic Pesticide Malathion

15 May 2026, Washington: Today, In a major victory for endangered species, a federal court ruled today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately protect more than 1,500 imperiled species from the insecticide malathion – in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Today’s ruling comes in response to a challenge brought by three conservation organizations (Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, and Pesticide Action Network) of the Service’s 2022 final biological opinion on malathion, which concluded that the pesticide does not pose an extinction risk to a single protected species of wildlife or plant.

“This decision is a vital victory for thousands of endangered species at risk from toxic pesticides across the country, including many pollinators critical to our food system,” said George Kimbrell, legal director for Center for Food Safety a plaintiff and co-counsel in the case. “We are gratified the court has agreed that the Fish and Wildlife Service flouted its core duties and that imperiled species will now get the protection they deserve and that the law requires.”