{"id":7182,"date":"2026-11-03T19:11:39","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T19:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watchthenews.store\/?p=7182"},"modified":"2026-11-03T19:11:39","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T19:11:39","slug":"trump-stunned-supreme-court-rules-8-1-that-he-can","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchthenews.store\/?p=7182","title":{"rendered":"TRUMP STUNNED! \u2013 Supreme Court rules 8-1 that he can\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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.<\/em><\/header>\n
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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.<\/p>\n

The Court\u2019s Majority Decision<\/h2>\n

Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. \u201cToday, we close the door that Sosa cracked and hold that courts may not create new causes of action for violations of international norms,\u201d Barrett wrote, referencing the court\u2019s 2004 precedent in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain.<\/p>\n

The majority held that federal judges lack constitutional authority to recognize private causes of action under the Alien Tort Statute and that the 1991 statute does not permit secondary aiding-and-abetting liability. Emphasizing separation of powers, Barrett reasoned that creating new rights of action belongs exclusively to Congress, not the courts.<\/p>\n

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The court determined that allowing unelected judges to recognize tort claims based on evolving international norms risks judicial overreach into foreign policy, a domain the Constitution assigns to the executive and legislative branches.<\/p>\n

Background of the Case<\/h2>\n

Unnamed practitioners of Falun Gong sued Cisco after alleging that Chinese authorities subjected them to torture and arbitrary detention aided by the company\u2019s surveillance technology, known as the \u201cGolden Shield\u201d project. A federal district court initially dismissed the complaint, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit revived it, ruling that both statutes permitted aiding-and-abetting actions against American entities that knowingly facilitate international law violations.<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court\u2019s reversal reversed the Ninth Circuit\u2019s reasoning and ended that legal theory entirely.<\/p>\n

Business and Government Support<\/h2>\n

The federal government participated in oral arguments supporting Cisco, with the Solicitor General\u2019s office warning that expansive transnational litigation could disrupt diplomacy, invite reciprocal foreign suits against American interests, and discourage U.S. technological innovation abroad. The ruling delivers a win for the multinational business community and aligns with arguments presented by corporate defense counsel.<\/p>\n

Business groups argued the decision removes prolonged legal uncertainty for technology firms and global manufacturers operating across complex international markets. For decades, corporate defendants had faced costly class actions under the Alien Tort Statute arising from the sovereign actions of foreign governments.<\/p>\n

The Dissenting View<\/h2>\n

The court\u2019s three liberal justices disagreed sharply with the majority\u2019s restriction on human rights litigation. Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the statute\u2019s text permitting claims against individuals who \u201csubject\u201d victims to abuse naturally includes those who knowingly aid and abet the underlying conduct.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the plain text of this statute includes individuals who aid and abet the victim\u2019s torture, I would affirm the Ninth Circuit\u2019s judgment on this score as well,\u201d Sotomayor wrote. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a separate opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by Justice Elena Kagan, maintaining that the 1991 statute\u2019s framework was broad enough to reach parties providing material, knowing assistance to state-sponsored torture.<\/p>\n

What This Means<\/h2>\n

The ruling marks a significant milestone in a decades-long conservative effort to curtail transnational human rights suits in American courts. The decision establishes that foreign policy remedies involving corporate conduct abroad must originate through congressional legislation rather than judge-made tort claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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