Welfenschatz: On yesterday's hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court
Press release from 12/08/2020
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the legal dispute over the Guelph Treasure. The legal question at issue was whether US courts have jurisdiction over the case at all. A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is expected in the course of next year.
Hermann Parzinger: "We are pleased to have had the historic opportunity to present our arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court as to why we believe that this case does not belong before an American court. In addition to the legal arguments, we were also able to demonstrate that the SPK is committed to comprehensive provenance research, as well as to the fair and just resolution of Nazi restitution cases in accordance with the Washington Principles. These have guided our approach to restitution issues for more than two decades. In these twenty years, we have returned almost 2,000 works of art and books from our collections to the heirs of victims of Nazi persecution."
The lawsuit for the return of the Guelph Treasure was filed in February 2015 at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. (Philipp and Stiebel vs. Federal Republic of Germany and Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz). The SPK is represented in the U.S. proceedings by the law firm Wiggin and Dana.
Audio file and transcript of the hearing:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2020/19-351
More on the Guelph Treasure and the proceedings at: