This guide provides an overview of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976. It is intended as a practical introduction for those who have little knowledge of or experience with the statute. The guide focuses on the basic legal issues U.S.

This guide provides an overview of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA). It discusses the FSIA’s purpose and scope of application, and it reviews the jurisdictional, procedural, and evidentiary questions most likely to arise at the outset of litigation.

In this issue:

• The Amistad Case and the Federal Courts
• Documenting the Careers of Federal Judges

The Court Historian was an occasional newsletter (discontinued) from the Federal Judicial History Office.