Washington, D.C., March 26, 2026 — The Washington Litigation Group today filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Reverend Bob Fu and other individuals and organizations defending religious freedom. The case involves plaintiffs from a religious minority in China who claim they suffered state-sponsored persecution abetted by an American company.
“Religious persecution in China is not only carried out by the state—it is too often enabled by technology and silence,” said Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid. “This case is about whether victims of persecution can seek justice when companies knowingly help build the tools of repression. The Supreme Court now has an opportunity to affirm that those who profit from persecution cannot escape accountability.”
The case is Cisco v. Doe I. The plaintiffs, a group of Falun Gong adherents, alleged that Cisco, a California-based company, supplied China with custom technology that facilitated the Chinese government’s identification, apprehension, and torture of Falun Gong believers because of their religion. The plaintiffs sued Cisco under two laws, the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act, for the role the company played in the harms the plaintiffs have suffered.
Cisco, with support from the federal government, argues that plaintiffs are not entitled to seek redress in United States courts.
“The case now before the Supreme Court has significant consequences for victims of religious persecution seeking to hold their oppressors accountable,” said James I. Pearce, Senior Counsel at the Washington Litigation Group.
The amicus brief explains that the same Framers who drafted the First Amendment, which enshrines freedom of religion in the United States, also wrote the Alien Tort Statute, which makes United States courts available to victims of violations of the law of nations. The brief further describes how religious persecution throughout the world has worsened in recent years and how the two statutes at issue in the current case remain critical tools for ensuring justice for victims of many different faiths and religious traditions.
You can access the brief here.
