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Torts/Personal Injury

Jun. 24, 2026

Supreme Court bars Falun Gong suit against Cisco under Alien Tort Statute

In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal courts cannot create new causes of action under the Alien Tort Statute, shutting down Falun Gong members' claims that Cisco aided the Chinese government's persecution of the religious group.

Supreme Court bars Falun Gong suit against Cisco under Alien Tort Statute
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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that members of the Chinese religious movement Falun Gong cannot sue Cisco Systems Inc. in federal court for allegedly helping the Chinese government surveil and persecute the group.

The 6-3 decision, split along ideological lines, reversed a 2023 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that had allowed portions of the lawsuit to proceed after a district court dismissed the case. Cisco Systems, Inc. v. Doe, 2026 DJDAR 5018 (U.S...

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