Free Republic

Sat, Mar. 27, 2004 Supreme Court to consider 1789 law used in human rights cases PAUL CHAVEZ Associated Press LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday about a 1789 federal law that allows foreigners to sue in U.S. courts for human rights abuses allegedly committed overseas. Human rights lawyer Paul Hoffman said justices for the first time will consider the meaning of the Alien Tort Claims Act, which has been cited by dozens of people seeking damages from individuals who tortured or otherwise abused them in foreign countries. Hoffman, a partner in a Los...

<p>Imagine if, tomorrow, the United States were to locate Usama bin Laden in a small town in Pakistan.</p> <p>Could U.S. troops swoop down and capture him? Assuredly they could, if Pakistan consented. But what if Pakistan did not consent or if we found bin Laden in some country, such as Iran, that would probably object to U.S. intervention?</p>