Supreme Court Grants Cert in Fuld v. PLO
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Fuld v. Palestinian Liberation Organization to decide whether the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA) violates the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. For prior TLB coverage of Fuld, see here, here, here, here, and here. The PSJVTA purports to establish personal…
Continue ReadingWhat Deference to the Executive in Halkbank Should Have Looked Like
As previously reported, the Second Circuit issued its opinion in United States v. Turkiye Halk Bankasi (Halkbank) on October 22, 2024, addressing the deference owed to the executive branch’s determination that Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned bank, is not immune from criminal prosecution for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. Similar questions of deference to the executive…
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 ReadingEleventh Circuit Reverses Helms-Burton Judgments
On October 22, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned judgments of more than $100 million each against four U.S.-based cruise lines under the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. The decision is another example of just how difficult it has been for plaintiffs to recover under the act since President Trump allowed suits…
Continue ReadingSecond Circuit Holds for the Government in Halkbank Remand
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has issued its opinion in U.S. v. Turkiye Halk Bankasi (Halkbank) following the Supreme Court’s decision to remand the case for further consideration of common law immunity issues. The same panel of Second Circuit judges held for the government the first time it heard the case…
Continue ReadingU.S. and Foreign Litigation Relating to the Events in Gaza
High profile cases against Israel and Germany have been bought before the International Court of Justice, alleging violations of international law with respect to events in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking five warrants of arrest against Israelis and Hamas leaders for war…
Continue ReadingSupreme Court Grants Cert in Smith & Wesson v. Mexico
This morning, the Supreme Court granted cert in Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos. As regular readers will know, Mexico sued Smith & Wesson and other gun manufacturers in federal district court of the District of Massachusetts, alleging that defendants design, market, and sell guns in ways they know will arm Mexican drug…
Continue ReadingDoes the New York Convention Apply to Investor-State Awards?
On August 9, 2024, in Zhongshan Fucheng Industrial Investment Co. v. Federal Republic of Nigeria, the D.C. Circuit held that Nigeria was not immune from suit to enforce an arbitral award for a Chinese investor under a bilateral investment treaty. The U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) has an exception to state immunity for actions…
Continue ReadingFifth Circuit Doubles Down on International Shoe
A recent Fifth Circuit decision stoutly reaffirmed that court’s en banc position that the personal jurisdiction analysis is the same under the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments. Indeed, reading Hardy v. Scandinavian Airlines System, one would have no idea that a vocal minority of federal appellate judges have been calling for a veritable revolution in…
Continue ReadingGovernor Newsom Signs Holocaust Art Bill
Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2867 into law. The bill provides that California law applies in suits brought by a California resident involving the theft of art or other personal property during the Holocaust or other political persecutions. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel introduced AB 2867 in response to the Ninth Circuit’s decision earlier this…
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