President Obama Hosts Saudi King Salman Bin Abd al Aziz (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
Should victims of terror be allowed to sue other countries around the world? For example, can victims of 9/11 sue Saudi Arabia for allegedly supporting the 9/11 hijackers? This was the question at the heart of the “9/11 Bill.” The official (read: far less juicy) name for the bill is Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (“JASTA”). Last month, Congress passed JASTA after the bill had initially been vetoed by President Obama. For the record, both presidential candidates have expressed support for the bill. (But can we trust either of them?)
Although overshadowed by the election, the ramifications of JASTA could be far ranging, especially for lawyers who might find themselves representing individual victims of terror suing government bodies. Or, if you’re working with a law firm in D.C., and you already have the Saudis as clients, good news: new business is on the way. Other countries around the world are now evaluating whether they should adopt similar legislation, so despite JASTA passing in the U.S., it’s still a hot button topic in other Western countries that are affected by terrorism.
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Here to debate all the sides of the issue are Professor Fiona Londras, Professor of Global Legal Studies at University of Birmingham School of Law and Professor Rosa Friedman, Professor of Law and Global Development at the University of Reading School of Law. As always, these conversations are not live chats, they are real-life conversations. Follow along like a fly-on-the-wall by clicking below and dropping in your email.
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Zach Abramowitz is a former Biglaw associate and currently CEO and co-founder of ReplyAll. You can follow Zach on Twitter (@zachabramowitz) or reach him by email at [email protected].