Daily Alert Archives

A Supreme Court Victory for Victims of Palestinian Terrorism

(Wall Street Journal) Sander R. Gerber and Ezra Husney - On June 20, the U.S. Supreme Court held that foreign entities that kill Americans abroad through acts of terror can be held to account in American courts. In 2004, U.S. citizens sued the Palestinian Authority for its role in terror attacks that killed their family members. A New York federal jury found the PA liable, but in 2016, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the authority couldn't be subject to the jurisdiction of federal courts. The Supreme Court has now unanimously rejected the Second Circuit's interpretation of the law. Citing the Taylor Force Act of 2018 and referring to the PA's pay-to-slay policy, the justices noted Congress's "longstanding policy of deterring these sorts of payments, which the United States has determined promote acts of terror that may injure or kill Americans." With Israeli cooperation, the plaintiffs should eventually be able to collect damages by attaching Palestinian Authority tax revenue and assets. Then justice will truly have been done.
2025-06-29 00:00:00
Full Article