Supreme Court Rejects 9/11 Plea Deal for 3 Defendants, Clearing Path to Death Penalty Trial
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 19
Supreme Court Rejects 9/11 Plea Deal for 3 Defendants, Clearing Path to Death Penalty Trial
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 19
Summary
Monday’s unsigned order left intact the cancellation of plea agreements for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two other Sept. 11 defendants, exposing them again to a possible capital trial.
The men had asked the justices to restore 2024 deals that would have imposed life sentences in exchange for waiving appeals after nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
Lloyd Austin scrapped those agreements within days of their approval, and a federal appeals court later upheld his authority to revoke them; the Supreme Court gave no reasoning and noted Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not participate.
The ruling keeps the long-delayed Guantánamo military commission case on track toward a 2028 trial instead of a negotiated resolution.