1. What type of equitable relief is the plaintiff requesting?

2. What must the plaintiff show to prevail on its claim for an injunction?

3. What is the doctrine of unclean hands?

Japanese researchers who hunt whales in the southern Pacific Ocean (Cetacean) sought a preliminary injunction against Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a Washington-based conservation organization, which engaged in frequent confrontations with whalers, under the Alien Tort Statute. The Ninth Circuit concluded that enjoining Sea Shepherd would not inject the court into an international political issue, but rather would send the message that piracy is not tolerated. The Ninth Circuit held that the balance of equities favored preliminary injunction and that the public interest supported the grant of the preliminary injunction.