((a)) ** Claims prior to ** The Commission shall receive and determine in accordance with applicable substantive law, including international law, the validity and amounts of—

((1)) claims of nationals of the United States against a Russian national originally accruing in favor of a national of the United States with respect to which a judgment was entered in, or a warrant of attachment issued from, any court of the United States or of a State of the United States in favor of a national of the United States, with which judgment or warrant of attachment a lien was obtained by a national of the United States, prior to , upon any property in the United States which has been taken, collected, recovered, or liquidated by the Government of the United States pursuant to the Litvinov Assignment. Awards under this paragraph shall not exceed the proceeds of such property as may have been subject to the lien of the judgment or attachment; nor, in the event that such proceeds are less than the aggregate amount of all valid claims so related to the same property, exceed an amount equal to the proportion which each such claim bears to the total amount of such proceeds; and

((2)) claims, arising prior to , of nationals of the United States against the Soviet Government.

((b)) ** Federal and State court judgments** Any judgment entered in any court of the United States or of a State of the United States shall be binding upon the Commission in its determination, under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section, of any issue which was determined by the court in which the judgment was entered.

((c)) ** Preferences** The Commission shall give preference to the disposition of the claims referred to in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this section, over all other claims presented to it under this subchapter.