Act of State Doctrine (redirected from Underhill v. Hernandez)

Act of state doctrine

This doctrine says that a nation is sovereign within its own borders, and its domestic actions may not be questioned in the courts of another nation.

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Act of State Doctrine

A doctrine stating that each sovereign state has complete control over the laws within its own borders and that its acts cannot be questioned in the courts of another state. This is important to economics and trade because it means that investors in one country cannot sue to force a company or the government in another country to take an action favorable to them; they must go through the domestic courts for redress. While international agreements and conventions temper the act of state doctrine, it remains important.