The Court of Appeals vacated the district court decision (UNITED STATES no. 1074) that had assumed jurisdiction over Russia in the application to confirm three Dutch awards rendered in arbitration commenced under the arbitration clause in the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) (the Yukos case). The Court held that the district court had erred in reasoning that it was bound by the findings of the arbitral tribunal when assessing the existence of the conditions for the application of the arbitration exception under the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). These conditions, the Court explained, had to be independently evaluated by the court.