Generally, sovereignty shields states from litigation. There are exceptions, however. In the United States, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act lays down the general principles and exceptions under which lawsuits against sovereign states can be filed with courts in the United States.

In James Owens et al. v. Repubic of the Sudan et al., docket no. 06-5079, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia explains the constitutionality of 28 USC §1605(a)(7), which contains an exception to sovereign immunity: Nations found to be sponsors of terrorism by the Secretary of State may not invoke their immunity in litigation.

Sudan contests the constitutionality of 28 USC §1605(a)(7) on grounds that it violates the separation of powers. The court does not follow Sudan's logic that Congress unconstitutionally delegated its power to define the jurisdiction of the federal courts to the Executive.

Instead, the court explains on July 11, 2008, Congress assigned the Executive the authority to make a factfinding upon which jurisdiction partially rests and provided sufficient guidance to the Secretary of State to make the finding of the facts upon which the jurisdiction of federal courts over sovereign states depends. Therefore, 28 USC §1605(a)(7) meets the requirements of the intelligible principle standard of review, supra at 16. -- Michael J. Warning, International Fellow with Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe, LLP, Washington, DC.