US House passes bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia

The United States house of representatives voted on Friday to pass a bill that would allow the families of victims of the 11 September terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia’s government for damages.

The Senate passed the bill in May, so it now heads to US President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature.

The bill, known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, would prevent Saudi Arabia and other countries with alleged ties to terrorist groups from invoking their legal immunity in US courts. It would override the 1976 Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which grants immunity to countries that aren’t designated state sponsors of terrorism.

New York courts routinely dismiss claims filed by families of 9/11 victims against Saudi Arabia for allegedly helping to finance the terrorist attacks. Saudi Arabia denies any role in the attacks, though 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte said international acts of terrorism deserve to be exceptions in terms of legal liability.

“We can no longer allow those who injure and kill Americans to hide behind legal loopholes, denying justice to the victims of terrorism,” Goodlatte said.

“There are always diplomatic considerations that get in the way of justice, but if a court proves the Saudis were complicit in 9/11, they should be held accountable,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, D-New York, a sponsor of the Senate bill. “If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about.”

Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, a co-sponsor of the Senate bill, said in a statement that “today’s vote sends an unmistakable message that we should combat terrorism with every tool we have, and that the families of those lost in attacks like that on September 11th should have every means at their disposal to seek justice.”

The Obama administration has been against the bill as they believe it could backfire. The White House is concerned that it would allow foreign countries to, in turn, bring legal action against the United States government to address grievances. 

Image: A three-year-old holds his mother  hand near some of the 3,000 flags placed in memory of the lives lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks at a park in Winnetka, Illinois. Photograph: Jim Young/Reuters