The 1945 U.S. Supreme Court case that set precedent for jurisdictional disputes -- such as those implicated in product liability, labor or child custody cases -- will be analyzed by international legal scholars at a UC Davis law school symposium on Friday, Feb. 10, beginning at 9 a.m. The free public symposium marks the 50th anniversary of International Shoe vs. State of Washington, which upheld the ability of state residents to sue out-of-state defendants. Today, however, many think the decision is not working particularly well, and they see a need for a reform of the legal test involved in such cases, says Kevin Johnson, a UC Davis law school professor. The 1945 case involved the St. Louis-based International Shoe Co.'s Washington-based sales staff. The company did not want to pay unemployment insurance taxes for its sales personnel in Washington. But the U.S. Supreme Court held that the company could be sued in Washington, even though it was headquartered in Missouri. Topics to be considered during the daylong symposium are the decision's impact, the need for reform of the International Shoe precedent and the decision's application to international defendants.