Samantar v. Yousuf

Samantar v. Yousuf

Argued March 3, 2010
Decided June 1, 2010
Full case name Mohamed Ali Samantar, Petitioner v. Bashe Abdi Yousuf, et al.
Docket nos. 08-1555
Prior history Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Holding
The FSIA, which provides that a “foreign state shall be immune from the jurisdiction” of both federal and state courts except as provided in the Act, 28 U. S. C. §1604, did not govern petitioner’s claim of immunity.[1]
Court membership
Case opinions
Majority Stevens, joined by Roberts, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Alito, Sotomayor
Concurrence Alito
Concur/dissent Thomas
Concur/dissent Scalia
Laws applied
Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976

Samantar v. Yousuf,[2] Docket #08-1555 (2010), was a case decided by the United States Supreme Court concerning whether Muhammad Ali Samatar, prime minister of Somalia under dictator Siad Barre from 1987 to 1990, could be sued in United States courts for allegedly overseeing killings and other atrocities. Samatar now lives in Virginia, and some of his victims had sued him under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991.

In a previous decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that the former Somalian government official is not covered by, and therefore not entitled to immunity under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. The Court remanded to District Court to determine whether defendant is entitled to common law immunity.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Text of the Case
  2. ↑ The petitioner's name is actually spelled Samatar.

Further reading