566 U.S. 449 (2012)
Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority is a cornerstone Supreme Court decision on the scope of the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 (TVPA), a federal statute that creates a civil cause of action for torture and extrajudicial killing committed under color of foreign law.
Does the Torture Victim Protection Act authorize a civil action for torture or extrajudicial killing against organizations (such as the Palestinian Authority or PLO), or does the statute limit liability to natural persons only?
Under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, 28 U.S.C. § 1350 note, the term "individual" identifies the class of potential defendants and refers only to natural persons. The TVPA therefore authorizes civil suits for torture or extrajudicial killing committed under color of foreign law only against natural persons, not against organizations, corporations, or other collective entities.
The Supreme Court unanimously held that the TVPA's use of the term "individual" encompasses only natural persons. Organizations such as the Palestinian Authority and the PLO are not proper defendants under the TVPA. The judgment of the D.C. Circuit was affirmed.
Mohamad is a leading example of textualist statutory interpretation in the human rights context. It clarifies that TVPA claims must be directed at natural persons who, acting under color of foreign law, allegedly committed torture or extrajudicial killing. The decision forecloses attempts to sue organizations and corporations under the TVPA, thereby shaping the defendants and litigation strategies available to human rights plaintiffs in U.S. courts. For students, the case underscores how Congress's word choice—"individual" versus "person"—can decisively cabin the scope of a cause of action and illustrates how courts employ ordinary meaning, structural coherence, and legislative history to reach a unanimous result. The ruling also situates the TVPA within the broader framework of transnational human rights litigation alongside the Alien Tort Statute, later influencing and complementing cases that further define the contours of corporate and extraterritorial liability.