The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that foreign plaintiffs cannot use specific federal statutes to sue American companies over alleged human rights abuses abroad. Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered the majority opinion in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe, significantly curtailing extraterritorial corporate liability.
Barrett emphasized that federal judges lack the constitutional authority to establish private causes of action under the historic Alien Tort Statute of 1789. Furthermore, the court determined that the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 does not allow for secondary aiding-and-abetting liability.
The landmark decision effectively closes legal avenues for international claimants attempting to hold domestic corporations accountable in American courts for commercial technology sales to foreign regimes. Chief Justice John Roberts and other conservative justices joined the decisive majority ruling.