sovereign acts doctrine
Defined in 1 dictionary — Case Law
Definitions from Case Law
From 267 U.S. 458 - Horowitz v. United States · 1925Most cited · 468 citing opinions
the United States when sued as a contractor cannot be held liable for an obstruction to the performance of the particular contract resulting from its public and general acts as a sovereign. Whatever acts the government may do, be they legislative or executive, so long as they be public and general, cannot be deemed specially to alter, modify, obstruct or violate the particular contracts into which it enters with private persons.