CNN: “The Supreme Court on Monday will delve into atrocities committed during World War II and hear two cases brought by victims and their family members who are seeking compensation for property they say was stolen from them during the Holocaust. The justices will ultimately decide whether the cases against Germany and Hungary can proceed in US courts.”
“The court’s decision could open the door to the possibility of similar lawsuits against foreign countries but also raises difficult questions about entangling the judiciary in matters concerning sensitive foreign policy questions. At issue is a federal law that allows suits against a foreign government when a property is taken ‘in violation of international law.’ The US Justice Department is siding with lawyers for Germany and Hungary arguing the cases should be dismissed. The lawsuit against Hungary was initially brought in 2010 by 14 Jewish survivors, including four United States citizens, who sued Hungary and its state-run railway company seeking compensation for property that was stolen from their families in 1941. They say their possessions and those of their families were taken from them as they boarded trains destined for concentration camps and they seek to represent a class of victims who have been injured in similar ways.”