Foreign country
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 285 U.S. 1 - Burnet v. Chicago Portrait Co. · 1932Most cited · 413 citing opinions
a foreign government which has authority over a particular area or subject-matter, although not an international person but only a component part, or a political subdivision, of the larger international unit
How the Supreme Court has restated “Foreign country”
Each Supreme Court definition of “Foreign country,” sized by how often later courts cited it. “Change” is measured by wording overlap with earlier definitions — a rough signal, not a semantic judgment.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Foreign country”
Court decisions citing the 3 opinions that defined “Foreign country” — 830 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 4 definitions, chronological · 1907–1949
- ORIGINAL
There has been no change of nationality for revenue purposes, but, on the contrary, the Cuban government has been recognized as rightfully exercising sovereignty over the Isle of Pines as a de facto government until otherwise provided. It must be treated as foreign, for this government has never taken, nor aimed to take, that possession in fact and in law which is essential to render it domestic.
under tariff
the controlling consideration was the fact that the income tax was paid to a foreign government competent to lay the tax, and not the international status of that government
We know of no more accurate phrase in common English usage than 'foreign country' to denote territory subject to the sovereignty of another nation.