Act-of-State Doctrine Law and Legal Definition
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. 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.
The act-of-state doctrine is a common-law principle that prevents U.S. courts from questioning the validity of a foreign country's sovereign acts that take place within its own territory. The "Act of State Doctrine" says that courts should not decide cases that would interfere with their country's foreign policy.
