What Is . . . Alien Tort Claims Act?
April 6th, 2009
The Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) of 1789 is a statute codified in Title 28 United States Code § 1350. This 220 year old (as of this writing) piece of legislation, also known as the Alien Tort Statute or ATS, stipulates that
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.
This statement lives within the section of code dealing with the U.S. judiciary’s federal courts. The “district courts” in the statement refer to the first of three levels of federal courts.
