Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe · ¶74
The ATS, enacted in 1789, permits foreign nationals harmed by violations of international law to obtain compensation for their injuries in U. S. court. See 28 U. S. C. §1350 (“The district courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action by an alien for a tort only, committed in violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States”). The statute is limited: As this Court explained in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U. S. 692, the ATS “is in terms only jurisdictional,” meaning that it gives courts authority to entertain suits but does not itself create any causes of action that permit plaintiffs to sue someone. Id., at 712. Even so, consulting the historical context surrounding the ATS’s passage, the Court determined that Congress “intended” for the ATS “to have practical effect the moment it became law.” Id., at 724. Consistent with that understanding, Sosa held…Read in context ›
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