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From Pirates To Universal Wrongs
- The 1784 DeLongchamps case treated certain violations of the law of nations like piracy, punishable by any state.
- That reasoning inspired the Alien Tort Statute, allowing U.S. civil suits for violations of international norms.
Sovereignty Meets Human Rights
- World War II and the Holocaust forced a rethink of absolute sovereignty and led to modern human rights norms.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) marked a global shift toward limiting state impunity.
ATS Became A Human Rights Engine
- After Filartiga, ATS litigation exploded and became the backbone of U.S. human rights lawsuits.
- The statute offered victims worldwide a venue when local justice systems failed.