{"id":2650576,"date":"2026-08-27T14:19:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-opposes-9-11-plotters-supreme-court-bid-to-escape-death-penalty\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:23:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:23:36","slug":"us-opposes-9-11-plotters-supreme-court-bid-to-escape-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-opposes-9-11-plotters-supreme-court-bid-to-escape-death-penalty\/","title":{"rendered":"US opposes 9\/11 plotters\u2019 Supreme Court bid to escape death penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fus-opposes-9-11-plotters-supreme-court-bid-to-escape-death-penalty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2650576&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Justice Department is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject efforts by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, and a co-defendant to reinstate plea agreements that would prevent the death penalty. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that a federal appeals court decision allowing the Pentagon to withdraw from these agreements should remain in effect, despite a military judge&#8217;s ruling that the Pentagon acted too late. The case involves complex legal disputes over the timing and validity of plea agreements, with Mohammed and Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi seeking to have their guilty pleas accepted, which would avoid capital punishment. the trial for Mohammed is scheduled for June 2028, nearly 20 years after he was charged with war crimes. The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to hear the case,but a ruling against Mohammed would allow the government to continue pursuing the death penalty for him and others involved in the 9\/11 attacks.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\">Justice Department<\/a> is urging the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> to reject a bid by alleged <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/september-11-terrorist-attacks\">Sept. 11 attack<\/a> mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a co-defendant to restore plea agreements that would spare them the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solicitor General D. John Sauer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/26\/26-13\/420237\/20260826170834743_26-13%20Mohammad%20Opp.pdf\">asked the justices on Wednesday<\/a> to leave in place a federal appeals court ruling that allowed the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pentagon\/\">Pentagon<\/a> to withdraw from the agreements with the alleged attack plotters, Mohammed and Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi. His response was in regard to a military judge\u2019s November 2024 finding that the Pentagon had acted too late because the defendants had already begun fulfilling the agreements, which cleared the way for their guilty pleas that shielded them from capital punishment.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702809\/us-opposes-9-11-attackers-supreme-court-bid-to-avoid-death-penalty\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US opposes 9\/11 attackers\u2019 Supreme Court bid to avoid death penalty<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702625\/desantis-misappropriate-hope-florida-grand-jury\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million in Hope Florida debacle: Grand jury<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Military judge sets trial for alleged 9\/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, testifies during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on what Republicans say is the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department and attacks on American civil liberties on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-image-caption=&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, testifies during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on what Republicans say is the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department and attacks on American civil liberties on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP23201615956063-1.webp?w=696&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/AP23201615956063-1.webp?w=696&#8243; alt=&#8221;D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, testifies during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on what Republicans say is the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department and attacks on American civil liberties on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky)&#8221; class=&#8221;wp-image-3331690&#8243;  ><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General with the Louisiana Department of Justice, testifies during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on what Republicans say is the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department and attacks on American civil liberties on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 20, 2023. (AP Photo\/Patrick Semansky)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe military judge\u2019s extraordinary disregard for the Secretary\u2019s authority\u201d justified intervention in prosecutions \u201cof paramount national significance,\u201d Sauer wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The filing came the same day a military judge <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\">scheduled Mohammed\u2019s trial for June 2028<\/a>, nearly 20 years after he was charged with war crimes stemming from the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/september-11-terrorist-attacks\/\">2001 attacks<\/a> that killed 2,977 people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3106800\/dod-plea-agreements-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/#google_vignette\">Under the agreements<\/a>, Mohammed and al Hawsawi would plead guilty to all charges and provide detailed admissions about their roles in the attacks. In return, prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. The men also agreed to answer questions from victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">In this photo of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. military, alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators, left, sit with their legal teams in the courtroom during a hearing in  the Camp Justice compound for the U.S. war crimes commission on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Thursday, July 16, 2009. From left to right are Walid Bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al Hawsawi. Three of the five defendants in the case titled U.S. vs Mohammed attended the hearing Thursday. (AP Photo\/Janet Hamlin, Pool)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP090716024147.jpg?w=696&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP090716024147.jpg&#8221; alt=&#8221;&#8221; class=&#8221;wp-image-4702885&#8243;  ><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photo of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. military, alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators, left, sit with their legal teams in the courtroom during a hearing in  the Camp Justice compound for the U.S. war crimes commission on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba, Thursday, July 16, 2009. From left to right are Walid Bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al Hawsawi. Three of the five defendants in the case titled U.S. vs Mohammed attended the hearing Thursday. (AP Photo\/Janet Hamlin, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Pentagon official under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/page\/5\/\">Biden administration<\/a> approved the agreements on July 31, 2024. Two days later, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin canceled them, saying a decision of such significance should rest with him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A military judge later that year ruled that Austin acted too late because the defendants had already begun carrying out their obligations. A military appeals court upheld that decision. However, the D.C. Circuit <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courthousenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/dc-circuit-feds-can-walk-back-sept-eleven-plotters-plea-deal.pdf\">reversed course in July 2025<\/a>, blocking the military judge from accepting the guilty pleas and allowing the Pentagon\u2019s withdrawal to stand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mohammed and al Hawsawi <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/26\/26-13\/412744\/20260605145253276_Petition%20for%20Writ.pdf\">asked the Supreme Court on June 5<\/a> to overturn that ruling. They argue that the appeals court used an extraordinary order known as mandamus to give prosecutors an appeal that Congress had not authorized.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sauer said Wednesday the D.C. Circuit had authority to intervene and that the military judge committed \u201cegregious legal errors.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The defendants\u2019 decision not to question a witness did not amount to carrying out the agreements, the government argued, because the agreements did not require that action and the defendants had not withdrawn their pending motions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sauer noted toward the end of his filing that \u201cThe government recognizes that these prosecutions have been lengthy\u201d and that victims\u2019 families \u201care divided\u201d about pursuing the death penalty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, because \u201cthis case implicates the interests of the entire nation,\u201d Sauer added, the decision should be made by \u201can official who answers to the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\">MILITARY JUDGE SETS TRIAL FOR ALLEGED 9\/11 MASTERMIND KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Supreme Court has not decided whether it will hear the case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Denying the petition would leave the D.C. Circuit\u2019s ruling in place and permit the government to continue pursuing capital prosecutions against the alleged perpetrators of one of the most heinous foreign attacks ever committed on U.S. soil.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justice Dept urges SCOTUS to reject Khalid Sheikh Mohammed&#8217;s plea bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2650577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP090716024147.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[56199,32275,50822],"class_list":["post-2650576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-9-11-2","tag-supreme-court","tag-us-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP090716024147.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650576"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650579,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650576\/revisions\/2650579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}