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The Act Of State Doctrine And Its Exceptions: An Introduction, A. B. Conant, Jr.

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The act of state doctrine poses a serious obstacle for plaintiffs seeking redress in United States courts for wrongful public acts by a recognized foreign sovereign within its own territory. Depending on the circumstances, however, various exceptions to the Doctrine may be invoked. This article is intended to be a brief introduction to the Doctrine and its exceptions and a survey of recent cases in which the Doctrine was construed by United States courts. The present inquiry into the nature and scope of the doctrine begins with the seminal case, "Underhill v. Hernandez"...

Almost all of the early case law …