Gorsuch signals Supreme Court may block religious group’s Cisco lawsuit

The Supreme Court on Tuesday signaled it may block a lawsuit accusing tech giant Cisco of helping China persecute members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement through surveillance technology.

The case is being closely watched as a measure of how far U.S. courts are willing to go in allowing human rights lawsuits tied to alleged abuses by foreign governments to proceed. A ruling could limit future claims against U.S. companies operating overseas and end a case brought by Falun Gong members more than a decade ago.

The justices are reviewing whether the lawsuit can move forward under the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act after a federal appeals court revived the claims, with Justice Neil Gorsuch questioning whether lower courts have left the courthouse door “not closely guarded.”