Foreign Law in State Courts
The Yale Journal of International Law recently published my article, Foreign Law on the Ground. The article is a comprehensive study of the treatment of foreign law in U.S. courts. Most the prior scholarship on foreign law in U.S. courts has focused on federal courts and Federal Rule 44.1. My article discusses federal courts, but…
Continue ReadingForeign Law on the Ground
The Yale Journal of International Law recently published my article, Foreign Law on the Ground. This post gives a flavor of the article with an excerpt from the introduction (cleaned up). I will follow up with a second post reviewing findings about foreign law in state courts. Traditionally, U.S. courts labeled foreign law as fact….
Continue ReadingColorado Supreme Court Blesses Climate Case
Climate litigation remains a hot topic (pun intended). This post briefly summarizes an important recent decision from the Colorado Supreme Court. [Disclosure: I have filed amicus briefs in other climate change litigation arguing that those cases do not interfere with the foreign relations of the United States.] As readers of TLB will know, a common…
Continue ReadingFuld v. PLO: Argument Day!
Today, the Supreme Court is hearing oral argument in Fuld v. Palestinian Liberation Organization. The petition asks whether the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act of 2019 (PSJVTA) violates the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause by declaring that the PLO has consented to personal jurisdiction based on specified conduct. TLB’s prior coverage…
Continue ReadingFuld Preview: Professor Briefs
Next week, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Fuld v. Palestinian Liberation Organization. Fuld raises two interrelated issues: (1) Does the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA) provide consent-based personal jurisdiction consistent with Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co.?; and (2) What are the differences (if any) between the…
Continue ReadingULC International Litigation Study Committee
The Uniform Law Commission (ULC) has formed a Study Committee on International Litigation Procedures. The ULC, also known as the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, was established in 1892 to provides states with non-partisan legislation on critical areas of state statutory law. State law plays a significant role in international litigation. The…
Continue ReadingHappy New Year!
TLB will be on winter break until January 7, 2025. We wish you all the best in the new year!
Continue ReadingIssue to Watch: Section 1782 and the Unified Patent Court
Section 1782 is big business, with large numbers of petitions filed in federal courts every year. 28 U.S.C. § 1782 is a federal statute authorizing federal courts order discovery for use in a foreign or international tribunal (but not an international arbitral tribunal). The Supreme Court elaborated various aspects of Section 1782 in its 2004 decision Intel Corp. v….
Continue ReadingHalkbank and the “Unitary” Executive
Last week, the Second Circuit issued its decision on common law immunity in United States v. Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S., on remand from the Supreme Court. Ingrid thoroughly summarized the Second Circuit’s ruling earlier this week. This post follows up to flag one further aspect of the decision. As readers know, a central question on…
Continue ReadingInterlocutory Appeals and State Sponsors of Terrorism
In a decision only lawyers could love, the Second Circuit held on September 3, 2024, that it lacked appellate jurisdiction over an interlocutory appeal by the Republic of Sudan brought in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) arising out of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The key issue is when the state-sponsored terrorism exception to…
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