The U.S. Supreme Court heard a bid by Cisco on Tuesday to toss out a lawsuit that alleges the U.S. tech giant should be held liable for persecution in China of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

The case stems from a 2011 suit filed by a dozen Chinese nationals and a U.S. citizen who claim Cisco designed an internet surveillance and censorship network called "Golden Shield" that was used by the Chinese government to track down Falun Gong devotees.