U.S. Supreme Court Ends Alien Tort Claims

              On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court in Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe effectively ended the ability to bring actions under the 1789 Alien Tort Statute (ATS). [1]  The opinion by Justice Amy Coney Barrett for a six-member majority held that federal courts cannot adjudicate human rights claims under the ATS.  Although not expressly, the decision de facto overrules the Court’s decision in Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain, 542 U.S. 692 (2004). The opinion explained that “courts may not create new causes of action for violations of international norms.[2]