The law firm which had represented Doraleh in arbitration proceedings sought to have the resulting award in Doraleh’s favor confirmed in the United States. However, Djibouti had nationalized its majority interest in Doraleh, a Djiboutian court had appointed a provisional administrator to manage the company, and the administrator was opposing confirmation on the ground that she did not authorize the application. The district court granted confirmation, holding that the law firm’s authority was irrelevant and also that authority is not one of the enumerated defenses under the New York Convention. The Court of Appeals vacated and remanded. It held that, in accordance with longstanding legal principles, authority was relevant and the authority issue can be raised at any point in litigation. Because Djibouti presented evidence raising substantial questions about the law firm’s authority, the district court should have determined whether they had authority to request the award’s confirmation.