Professor Christian J. Tams was one of the lead authors responsible for an amicus curiae brief on questions of state immunity implicated in Supreme Court proceedings concerning the restitution of major artworks.
The artworks – comprising the ‘Welfenschatz’ or Guelph treasure, said to be worth over $250 million – are on display in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin. Their restitution is sought by descendants of Jewish art dealers who owned the treasure, before it was acquired by the (then) State of Prussia in 1935.
The Supreme Court is called upon to decide whether Germany and its instrumentalities can rely on principles of State immunity. The brief was submitted by nine leading scholars of international law.
Please see here for the brief.
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