The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Tuesday that foreign plaintiffs cannot sue American companies for allegedly aiding human rights abuses abroad using historical statutes. Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered the majority opinion, restricting the reach of federal courts over overseas corporate conduct and technology sales.
The landmark decision specifically addresses the 1789 Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991. The conservative majority held that federal judges lack constitutional authority to create private causes of action under these laws for international norms.
The litigation began when Falun Gong practitioners sued Cisco Systems in San Jose. Plaintiffs claimed the tech giant's surveillance technology aided Chinese authorities in arbitrary detention and brutal persecution.