Federal Appeals Court Cancels 9/11 Plotters’ Plea Deals, Deepening Legal Morass
Federal Appeals Court Cancels 9/11 Plotters’ Plea Deals, Deepening Legal Morass
In a significant legal development, a federal appeals court has overturned the plea deals previously struck with three men accused of orchestrating the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit casts fresh uncertainty over the long-stalled case, which has been mired in pretrial proceedings for over two decades at Guantánamo Bay.
The court’s decision centered on the authority of then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who had rescinded the plea agreements shortly after they were announced last summer. Austin had stated he was caught off guard by the deals, which would have allowed defendants, including alleged ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences, effectively bypassing a potential death penalty trial.
This federal appeals court ruling reverses earlier decisions by both a military court judge and a military appeals panel, which had upheld the deals. The higher court, however, found that Austin “indisputably had legal authority” to cancel the agreements. One judge dissented, expressing strong disagreement with the majority’s decision.
Lawyers for the defendants are now evaluating their next steps, which include the possibility of appealing the ruling to the full federal bench or directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. The cancellation of these deals suggests the 9/11 case could continue for many more years, potentially extending until 2050, according to some defense attorneys.
The ruling has drawn varied reactions from 9/11 family members, with some expressing profound frustration over the endless delays in justice, while others welcomed the decision as a critical step towards a full trial to uncover the truth and ensure accountability.
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