Court Opinion

ID: 9426403
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:17:46.976393+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:00.731672
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Powell,
concurring.
I join the opinion of the Court. Since the line between commercial and political acts of a foreign state often will be difficult to delineate, I write to reaffirm my view that even in cases deemed to involve purely political acts, it is the duty of the judiciary to decide for itself whether deference to the political branches of Government requires abstention. As I stated in First Nat. City Bank v. Banco Nacional de Cuba, 406 U. S. 759, 775-776 (1972) (concurring in judgment):
“Unless it appears that an exercise of jurisdiction would interfere with delicate foreign relations conducted by the political branches, I conclude that federal courts have an obligation to hear cases such as this.”
Just as I saw no circumstances requiring judicial abstention in that case, I see none here. Nor can I foresee any in cases involving only the commercial acts of a foreign state.