Reading Room Document

Assertion of Jurisdiction by the United States Over Foreign Vessels Seized Pursuant to a Special Arrangement

The United States may structure a Special Arrangement so as to enable it to assert jurisdiction over a vessel seized on behalf of a foreign state, once the foreign state waives its jurisdiction. Once the United States asserts jurisdiction over a seized vessel, it must comply with the requirements of the Fourth Amendment. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/24446/download.

April 15, 1980