This isn't necessarily a good idea because it could really open up a can of worms for the U.S. One possibility if this goes through the House and somehow against the Veto of Obama becomes law, this might allow for example, Iraqis or Vietnamese to sue U.S. soldiers or the government of the United States for damages caused by soldiers or the U.S. government. So, legislation like this is potentially dangerous to our citizens, soldiers and government because of legal precedents it could create.
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Senate Passes Bill Permitting 9/11 Victims' Families to Sue Saudi Arabia
| Wall Street Journal | - |
WASHINGTON—The
Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would allow the families of Sept. 11
victims to sue Saudi Arabia or other countries for any role in the
attacks, a move that brings Congress closer to a clash with the White
House, which has threatened ...
Senate Passes Bill Permitting 9/11 Victims' Families to Sue Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON—The Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would allow the
families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia or other countries for
any role in the attacks, a move that brings Congress closer to a clash
with the White House, which has threatened to veto the legislation.
Saudi Arabia is also fiercely against the bill and denies any role in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The legislation, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, next will be taken up by the House of Representatives, though a date for a vote hasn’t been set.
The law would establish an exception to U.S. laws barring lawsuits against foreign governments, allowing court action by victims of terrorist attacks.
“JASTA is a long-overdue fix—a responsible, balanced fix—to a law that has extended too large a shield to foreign actors who finance and enable terrorism on a massive scale,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), one of the bill’s sponsors.
The bill has bipartisan support and passed by unanimous voice vote in the Senate on Tuesday. The White House said Tuesday that the lawmakers hadn’t changed the legislation sufficiently to address its concerns.
“The president of the U.S. continues to harbor serious concerns that this legislation would make the U.S. vulnerable in other court systems around the world,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. “There’s also a concern…about the potential vulnerability that is created for some of our allies and partners and U.S. courts.”
Family members of Sept. 11 victims have pursued efforts to sue the Saudi government over the attacks, alleging it had provided some manner of support for the 19 men who hijacked the planes. Current legislation has mostly blocked their efforts.
In a statement Tuesday, 10 family members of Sept. 11 victims pursuing legal challenges welcomed the legislation’s passage and said it “promises us the truth, accountability and a strong warning that the U.S. finally will stand behind its promise of justice.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters in Geneva earlier this month that he warned the Obama administration the law would be damaging for Saudi Arabia and other countries.
”We said that a law like this is going to cause investor confidence to shrink,” Mr. Jubeir said. “In fact, what they [Congress] are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities, which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle.”
Mr. Earnest said Obama administration officials will reach out to members of the House to reiterate their strong opposition in the coming days.
At a news conference Tuesday, Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the measure doesn’t specifically target Saudi Arabia, but pointed to a classified part of a 2002 congressional report that Riyadh’s critics maintain could prove its culpability.
President Barack Obama has said his administration would release the classified portion of the report, consisting of 28 pages of the congressional investigation, which concern the possible role of Saudi officials in the attacks. Former President George W. Bush ordered that portion of the report be classified after the investigation concluded.
Following the Congressional inquiry, the independent 9/11 Commission, formed to investigate the attacks, followed up on the information in the 2002 report and ultimately concluded that allegations concerning Saudi Arabia were unsubstantiated.
Not all who have seen the 2002 report are convinced, saying some lawmakers familiar with the entire congressional report have said it could reveal possible support from within Saudi Arabia for the hijackers who carried out attacks in New York and Washington.
Write to Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com
Saudi Arabia is also fiercely against the bill and denies any role in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The legislation, called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, next will be taken up by the House of Representatives, though a date for a vote hasn’t been set.
The law would establish an exception to U.S. laws barring lawsuits against foreign governments, allowing court action by victims of terrorist attacks.
“JASTA is a long-overdue fix—a responsible, balanced fix—to a law that has extended too large a shield to foreign actors who finance and enable terrorism on a massive scale,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), one of the bill’s sponsors.
The bill has bipartisan support and passed by unanimous voice vote in the Senate on Tuesday. The White House said Tuesday that the lawmakers hadn’t changed the legislation sufficiently to address its concerns.
“The president of the U.S. continues to harbor serious concerns that this legislation would make the U.S. vulnerable in other court systems around the world,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. “There’s also a concern…about the potential vulnerability that is created for some of our allies and partners and U.S. courts.”
Family members of Sept. 11 victims have pursued efforts to sue the Saudi government over the attacks, alleging it had provided some manner of support for the 19 men who hijacked the planes. Current legislation has mostly blocked their efforts.
In a statement Tuesday, 10 family members of Sept. 11 victims pursuing legal challenges welcomed the legislation’s passage and said it “promises us the truth, accountability and a strong warning that the U.S. finally will stand behind its promise of justice.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters in Geneva earlier this month that he warned the Obama administration the law would be damaging for Saudi Arabia and other countries.
”We said that a law like this is going to cause investor confidence to shrink,” Mr. Jubeir said. “In fact, what they [Congress] are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities, which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle.”
Mr. Earnest said Obama administration officials will reach out to members of the House to reiterate their strong opposition in the coming days.
At a news conference Tuesday, Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the measure doesn’t specifically target Saudi Arabia, but pointed to a classified part of a 2002 congressional report that Riyadh’s critics maintain could prove its culpability.
President Barack Obama has said his administration would release the classified portion of the report, consisting of 28 pages of the congressional investigation, which concern the possible role of Saudi officials in the attacks. Former President George W. Bush ordered that portion of the report be classified after the investigation concluded.
Following the Congressional inquiry, the independent 9/11 Commission, formed to investigate the attacks, followed up on the information in the 2002 report and ultimately concluded that allegations concerning Saudi Arabia were unsubstantiated.
Not all who have seen the 2002 report are convinced, saying some lawmakers familiar with the entire congressional report have said it could reveal possible support from within Saudi Arabia for the hijackers who carried out attacks in New York and Washington.
Write to Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com
