Supreme Court bars new ATS claims in Cisco human rights case

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that courts cannot create new causes of action under the Alien Tort Statute and ordered dismissal of the plaintiffs' ATS claims against Cisco, EFF reported. The decision overturns the part of Sosa v. Alvarez-Machain that allowed courts to recognize a narrow class of modern international-law claims. Falun Gong practitioners alleged that Cisco helped build surveillance technology used in their persecution. EFF, which filed supporting briefs, says the ruling forecloses ATS claims against technology companies for aiding and abetting human rights abuses absent new legislation. The decision leaves the statute's jurisdictional role intact and does not revisit its treatment of three historical categories of claims.