EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The US Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that federal courts cannot create new legal claims under a 1789 statute for foreign human rights abuses.
The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that U.S. courts cannot create new legal claims under a 1789 statute allowing foreign nationals to sue American corporations over alleged complicity in human rights abuses.
The decision in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe centered on whether Cisco and its executives could be held liable for allegedly aiding Chinese government persecution of Falun Gong practitioners through surveillance technology sales. The case required the justices to interpret the scope of the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991.
The Court’s Majority Decision