International Law

The Trump Administration's Executive Order 14411 introduces sweeping changes to foreign importer of record (FIOR) rules that will fundamentally alter how Canadian businesses import goods into the United States. These new regulations eliminate informal entry options, impose stricter bonding requirements, and establish a minimum 50% penalty floor for non-compliance, placing unprecedented emphasis on accurate tariff classification, valuation, and origin declarations.

On September 16, 2026, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum titled “Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement”, directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the United States Trade Representative, in coordination with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council, to identify and take legally permitted steps to remove or restrict Canadian-origin items across the federal civil procurement system.

President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law on September 18, 2026, establishing mandatory tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian energy. The Act targets major importers like China, India, and Turkey, with limited relief mechanisms including natural gas exceptions, presidential waivers, and a 270-day winddown period for entities divesting from Russian operations.

As artificial intelligence reshapes global commerce and geopolitics, data center operators hosting GPU servers face an increasingly complex web of U.S. export controls and regulatory requirements. This analysis examines how evolving restrictions on advanced semiconductors, AI model development, and cross-border technology transfers create compliance obligations for companies throughout the AI infrastructure supply chain, from exporters and operators to tenants and investors.

The U.S. Treasury Department has launched a comprehensive campaign to isolate Iran's financial networks, expanding sanctions to include aviation, digital assets, gold, shipping, and technology sectors. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced systematic efforts to close financial channels supporting Iran's terror activities, while proposing restrictions on UAE-based Banque Misr branches for allegedly processing $1.8 billion for Iranian shadow banking networks.

President Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law on September 18, 2026, establishing mandatory tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian energy. The Act targets major importers like China, India, and Turkey, with limited relief mechanisms including natural gas exceptions, presidential waivers, and a 270-day winddown period for entities divesting from Russian operations.

After the fall of the Empire in China in 1912, and before the takeover of China by the Communists in 1949, there was a period in which a number of warlords controlled different areas of China. The United States felt that there was a need for certainty in the dealings of its citizens abroad therefore, for more than two decades in the early twentieth century, the United States maintained an unusual federal court on foreign soil—one that exercised full judicial authority over American citizens living and working in China.

Commercial litigation partner Jacques Semmelman joins Dateline NBC's True Crime Weekly podcast to demystify the complex world of international extradition law. Drawing on his experience as a former Assistant US Attorney, Semmelman explains the legal standards, treaty requirements, and diplomatic considerations that govern how individuals are transferred between countries to face criminal charges or serve sentences.

For foreign litigants and their counsel, a law in the United States known col- loquially as “Section 1782” (28 U.S.C. §1782) offers both an opportunity and a challenge. Section 1782 allows parties to existing or contemplated foreign pro- ceedings—or other persons with an interest in those proceedings—to obtain evidence located in the United States.