The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal from tech giant Cisco (CSCO), which aims to dismiss a lawsuit alleging its technology was used to target members of the Falun Gong spiritual group in China.
The justices, who will hear arguments in the spring, will review an appellate ruling that would allow the lawsuit against Cisco to go forward in U.S. courts.
The court acted after the Trump administration weighed in on Cisco’s behalf to urge the justices to hear the case.
The issue before the Supreme Court is whether an American company can be held liable under two separate laws for aiding and abetting human rights violations, according to reports. Cisco (CSCO) argues it isn’t liable under those laws, the 18th-century Alien Tort Statute, or the Torture Victim Protection Act, first enacted in 1991, AP reported.
