extraterritorial-jurisdiction

37 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25-6314 Jose Fernando Lopez-Anchundia v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-12-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-power criminal-prosecution drug-enforcement extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-law 1. Does Congress's power "[t]o define and punish . . . Felonies committed on the high Seas," authorize the United States to impose its laws upon forei…
25-6270 Jhon Henry Alvarado-Valencia v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-12-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP congressional-power criminal-prosecution drug-enforcement extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-waters maritime-law Article I, Section 8, Clause 10 of the United States Constitution empowers Congress "[t]o define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the hig…
25-5584 Virgilio Valencia-Gamboa v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-09-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP congressional-power criminal-jurisdiction define-and-punish-clause extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-drug-law Article I, Section 8, Clause 10 of the United States Constitution empowers Congress "[t]o define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the hig…
25-5506 Carlos Daniel Canario-Vilomar v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2025-08-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP congressional-power define-and-punish-clause extraterritorial-jurisdiction high-seas-enforcement international-law maritime-drug-law 1. Are Congress's powers under the Define and Punish Clause inherently limited by international law? 2. Does 46 U.S.C. § 70502(d)(1)(C) of the Mariti…
25-163 Corrigan Clay v. United States Third Circuit 2025-08-11 Denied constitutional-interpretation criminal-statute extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-commerce-clause missouri-v-holland optional-protocol 1. Whether the Foreign Commerce Clause empowers Congress to criminalize private, non-commercial conduct that occurs entirely abroad. 2. Whether Misso…
24A1124 Corrigan Clay v. United States Third Circuit 2025-05-21 Presumed Complete congressional-power extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-commerce-clause interstate-commerce missouri-v-holland treaty-power Whether Congress's power under the Foreign Commerce Clause and the Treaty Power permits federal criminal prosecution for extraterritorial conduct not …
24-5134 Diana Ingrid Reismann Sexton v. Fort Bend County, Texas, et al. Texas 2024-07-25 Denied IFP alien-tort-statute civil-rights-violations convention-against-torture dual-citizenship due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law international-treaties sovereign-immunity torture torture-prevention May-a-case-demanding-relief-to-a-dual-citizen-with-dominant-nationality-as-an-alien-and-her-child-injured-by-US-naturals-who-committed-tortures-fraud-…
23-1119 Loredana Ranza v. Nike, Inc. Ninth Circuit 2024-04-15 Denied adea administrative-agency civil-rights claim-preclusion discrimination extraterritorial extraterritorial-jurisdiction forum-non-conveniens title-vii Does claim preclusion bar an expatriate U.S. citizen from bringing discrimination claims under the extraterritorial provisions of Title VII and the AD…
23-6971 Steven Antonius, aka Sealed Defendant 1, Shervington Lovell, aka Sealed Defendant 1, and Argemiro Zapata-Castro, aka Sealed Defendant 1 v. United States Second Circuit 2024-03-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP article-i-section-8-clause-10 criminal-prosecution due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction fifth-amendment-due-process maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act originalism protective-principle universal-jurisdiction Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act expands federal criminal jurisdiction beyond what was permitted at the Constitution's ratification and i…
23-5781 Troy George Skinner v. United States Fourth Circuit 2023-10-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-exploitation criminal-jurisdiction criminal-law due-process extraterritorial-application extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-conduct interstate-commerce sexual-exploitation statutory-interpretation Does 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) apply extraterritorially to permit the prosecution of a non-U.S. citizen located in a foreign country whose conduct giving ri…
23-5641 Marvin Joe Randall v. Oregon Oregon 2023-09-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-jurisdiction criminal-law due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritorial-prosecution internet-activity interstate-conduct personal-jurisdiction prostitution-regulation state-jurisdiction state-regulation website-communication Can the State of Oregon regulate the conduct of an individual who is not a resident of that state and at all times relevant to the case, was never pre…
23-5515 Carmen Saldana Meyer v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-09-05 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure extraterritorial-jurisdiction federal-kidnapping-act foreign-commerce jurisdictional-basis jury-instructions kidnapping united-states unlawful-act Whether the Federal Kidnapping Act authorizes a conviction where the foreign commerce jurisdictional basis was the defendant's travel in foreign comme…
22-7065 Ahmed Abu Khatallah v. United States District of Columbia 2023-03-22 Denied IFP acquitted-conduct constitutional-rights criminal-law criminal-statute due-process extraterritorial-application extraterritorial-jurisdiction sentencing sentencing-enhancement sixth-amendment statutory-interpretation Does 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) apply extraterritorially?
22-6343 Rossen Iossifov v. United States Sixth Circuit 2022-12-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP bitcoin-exchange criminal-venue due-process extradition extraterritorial-jurisdiction money-laundering racketeering venue wire-fraud Jurisdictional-grounds-for-SCOTUS-review
21-1198 Robert Dexter Weir, et al. v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2022-03-02 Denied Response Waived congressional-power extraterritorial-jurisdiction felonies-clause foreign-flagged-vessels foreign-nationals high-seas piracy-clause united-states-constitution Whether Congress's power to define and punish felonies committed on the high seas extends to conduct committed by foreign nationals on a foreign-flagg…
21-5627 William Brinson Ball v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2021-09-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-exploitation criminal-law criminal-statute due-process extraterritorial-application extraterritorial-jurisdiction federal-criminal-procedure federal-jurisdiction international-law interstate-commerce statutory-interpretation Whether 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b) extends to conduct occurring outside the United States
21-5604 Daniel Chase Harris v. United States Fourth Circuit 2021-09-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-3261 18-usc-7 circuit-split civilian-jurisdiction due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction federal-criminal-law military-jurisdiction statutory-interpretation Whether U.S. military or civilian courts have exclusive jurisdiction of service members for their overseas conduct on foreign U.S. military installati…
21-246 Joseph Schneider v. New York New York 2021-08-20 Denied Response Waived civil-rights due-process eavesdropping-warrant extraterritorial-jurisdiction federalism interstate-communications jurisdictional-limits state-judicial-authority state-sovereignty title-iii wiretapping Do State Judges have authority under Title III's enabling statute to issue wiretap orders beyond their state borders?
21-5203 Ibrahim Akasha Abdalla, aka Ibrahim Akasha v. United States Second Circuit 2021-07-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-law criminal-procedure criminal-prosecution due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction fifth-amendment foreign-national personal-jurisdiction What level of contact with the United States must a foreign national who never entered this country and committed the offense conduct solely outside o…
20-5026 James Daniel Arbaugh v. United States Fourth Circuit 2020-07-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause constitutional-interpretation criminal-law criminal-prosecution extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-conduct foreign-relations sovereignty statutory-construction Does the power to regulate Commerce with Foreign Nations include the prosecution of a volunteer missionary who engages in noncommercial illicit sexual…
19-8513 Edward Javier Catano Lopez v. United States Fifth Circuit 2020-05-21 Denied Response WaivedIFP drug-trafficking due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-law maritime-drug-law maritime-law pinkerton-doctrine subject-matter-jurisdiction Does due process require a nexus between the defendant and the United States under the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act?
19-1141 Atlantic Trading USA, LLC, et al. v. BP P.L.C., et al. Second Circuit 2020-03-18 Denied Amici (3) circuit-split commodity-exchange-act domestic-transaction extraterritorial-jurisdiction location-of-exchange morrison-test morrison-v-national-australia-bank securities-exchange-act stoyas-v-toshiba-corp territorial-application Whether passing Morrison's domestic-transaction test is sufficient or merely necessary
19-7754 Erik Leonardus Peeters v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-02-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause congressional-power constitutional-safeguards extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-commerce-clause jurisdictional-limits non-commercial-conduct non-economic-conduct police-power united-states-v-al-maliki united-states-v-lopez united-states-v-morrison Does 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c)'s regulation of non-commercial, non-economic conduct of American citizens outside the United States exceed Congress's Foreign…
19-7486 Michael Lindsay v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-01-29 Denied Response WaivedIFP 18-usc-2423c commerce-clause congressional-power constitutional-safeguards due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritorial-regulation foreign-commerce foreign-commerce-clause non-commercial-conduct police-power united-states-v-lopez united-states-v-morrison Does 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c)'s regulation of non-commercial, non-economic conduct of American citizens outside the United States exceed Congress's Foreign…
19-6988 Marlon Jessie Blacher v. S. Johnson, Chief Deputy Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-12-18 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-litigation civil-procedure contract due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction fraud interstate-conflict jurisdiction jurisdictional-statute legal-standing non-resident-parties standing Whether the magistrate had valid jurisdiction when Congress has not conferred any jurisdiction by law
19-6938 Gabriel Garcia-Solar v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-12-13 Denied Response WaivedIFP congress-power congressional-power constitutional-interpretation extraterritorial-jurisdiction felonies-clause felony-definition foreign-nationals high-seas maritime-drug-law maritime-drug-law-enforcement-act nexus-requirement nexus-to-us sentencing-discretion Whether the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act exceeds Congress' power under the Felonies Clause
19-6607 Robert Allen Stanford v. Jay Clayton District of Columbia 2019-11-13 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP civil-rights discretionary-function due-process extraterritorial extraterritorial-jurisdiction fourth-amendment search-and-seizure sec-enforcement securities sovereign-immunity Whether the SEC's civil enforcement action against Stanford International Bank, Ltd. in Antigua violated the claimant's due-process rights
19-6293 Dwight Knowles v. United States District of Columbia 2019-10-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court-jurisprudence congressional-intent conspiracy criminal-conspiracy criminal-law criminal-statute due-process extraterritorial-conspiracy extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritorial-offenses extraterritoriality federal-jurisdiction statutory-interpretation territorial-application Whether federal conspiracy statutes apply extraterritorially when the object of the conspiracy is an extraterritorial offense but there is no clear in…
19-6009 John Robert Demos v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al. Tenth Circuit 2019-09-20 Closed IFP civil-rights constitutional-interpretation corporate-liability diplomacy diplomatic-immunity extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-nationals foreign-sovereigns human-rights international-diplomacy international-law original-jurisdiction self-executing standing treaty Does the U.S. Supreme Court have original jurisdiction in cases pertaining to foreign-sovereigns, foreign-nationals, protected-persons, and disputes b…
19-5946 Anthony Carl Spence v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-09-17 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-jurisdiction criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process extraterritorial-application extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritoriality federal-sentencing foreign-conduct guidelines offense-level sentencing sentencing-guidelines Whether a federal sentencing court can enhance a defendant's offense level based on conduct occurring entirely in a foreign country and not a crime ag…
19-256 Yuzef Abramov v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-08-28 Denied Response Waived constitutional-powers counsel-of-choice due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-commerce-clause necessary-and-proper necessary-and-proper-clause sixth-amendment standing statutory-interpretation treaty-power Whether it is constitutional to extend 18 U.S.C. § 2423(c) to noncommercial conduct allegedly committed by a foreign citizen and resident against othe…
19-5166 Henry Vazquez Valois v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-07-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause congressional-power congressional-powers criminal-law drug-trafficking due-process enumerated-powers extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-national international-law international-waters maritime-law Whether the prosecution of Mr. Vazquez Valois — a Colombian national with no ties to the United States — for trafficking cocaine in international wate…
18-1566 Charles D. Scoville v. Securities and Exchange Commission Tenth Circuit 2019-06-21 Denied Amici (1) civil-procedure criminal-prosecution dodd-frank-act due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction extraterritorial-reach extraterritoriality federal-jurisdiction sec-enforcement securities-exchange-act securities-exchange-act-of-1934 securities-law securities-regulation statutory-interpretation subject-matter-jurisdiction Whether Section 929P(b)'s jurisdictional amendments conferred substantive extraterritorial reach upon Sections 10(b) and 17(a) in SEC enforcement acti…
18-9055 Ronald Ray Horner v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-05-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP civil-rights constitutional-protections constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process extra-territorial-jurisdiction extraterritorial-jurisdiction fifth-amendment international-law sovereign-territory supreme-court-precedent Does the fact that the Appellant was arrested and questioned in Canada immunize the United States Attorney from following the Constitution of the Unit…
18-7485 Marcus Noel v. United States Eleventh Circuit 2019-01-18 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP criminal-law criminal-prosecution due-process extraterritorial-jurisdiction hostage-taking international-law jurisdictional-elements mens-rea nationality necessary-and-proper-clause treaty-power Whether the federal Hostage Taking statute requires proof that the defendant knew the victim was a U.S. national
18-6854 Matthew Lane Durham v. United States Tenth Circuit 2018-11-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP commerce-clause congressional-power enumerated-powers extraterritorial-jurisdiction foreign-commerce-clause jurisdictional-limits minor-protection noncommercial-activity noneconomic-activity sexual-acts sexual-conduct statutory-interpretation Did Congress exceed its enumerated powers under the Foreign Commerce Clause by punishing noncommercial, noneconomic sexual acts committed by a U.S. ci…
18-47 Thomas McClary, et al. v. Commodores Entertainment Corp. Eleventh Circuit 2018-07-09 Denied extraterritorial-conduct extraterritorial-jurisdiction international-commerce jurisdiction lanham-act steele-v-bulova substantial-effect trademark-enforcement trademark-standing us-commerce What defines the 'substantial effect on United States commerce' that grants U.S. court's jurisdiction to expand the Lanham Act to extraterritorial con…