Pennsylvania Attorney General Joins Supreme Court Brief for 9/11 Victims
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday joined a bipartisan coalition of 31 state attorneys general in filing a Supreme Court brief demanding financial judgments for September 11, 2001, victims and their families from frozen Taliban funds, according to a release from the Office of the Attorney General. The coalition argues that federal courts previously awarded roughly $17 billion in final judgments against the Taliban after decades of litigation, but the Second Circuit ruled that $3.5 billion in Taliban-controlled assets located near Ground Zero are out of reach due to a Treasury Department freeze.
Legal Battle Over Frozen Assets Near Ground Zero
The legal dispute centers on $3.5 billion in Taliban-controlled funds sitting a few blocks from Ground Zero in New York. The United States Treasury Department froze these assets eight days before the Taliban installed their own government and took control of the country’s central bank. While federal courts entered roughly $17 billion in final judgments against the Taliban for victims of the 2001 attacks and subsequent American casualties, the Second Circuit interpreted the Treasury’s actions as shielding the funds from those payouts.
The bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general contends that the Second Circuit misread the underlying congressional statute. According to the brief, federal law dictates that whenever a person wins a judgment against a terrorist party for acts of terrorism, any blocked assets belonging to that party inside the United States can be used to satisfy that judgment. The states argue that this statutory rule applies directly to the current situation, regardless of when the Taliban government assumed formal control over Afghanistan.
State Coalition Supporting the 9/11 Families
Pennsylvania joined a broad group of states representing citizens killed or maimed in the 2001 attacks and subsequent conflicts. Attorney General Sunday emphasized the decades-long toll carried by the victims and their relatives. “The victims of September 11 and their families have carried the consequences of that day for 25 years,” Sunday said in the announcement. “Those who have secured judgments against the Taliban deserve the opportunity to see those judgments enforced. Pennsylvania stands with these victims and families as they seek justice.”
The states joining Pennsylvania in the Supreme Court filing include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Taliban Fund Dispute
Which court issued the rulings that are currently being challenged?
Federal courts entered roughly $17 billion in final judgments against the Taliban following decades of litigation by victims and their families. However, the Second Circuit subsequently ruled that $3.5 billion in Taliban-controlled funds located near Ground Zero could not be touched to satisfy those judgments.
Why are the funds currently frozen in the United States?
The United States Treasury Department froze the Taliban-controlled funds eight days before the Taliban installed their own government and seized control of Afghanistan’s national bank. The Second Circuit interpreted this timing as placing the assets beyond the reach of the victims, a reading that the state attorneys general argue misinterprets federal terrorism statutes.
What does federal law allow regarding terrorist assets?
Congress mandated that in any case where an individual wins a judgment against a terrorist party due to an act of terrorism, any blocked assets belonging to that party within the United States can be utilized to fulfill that judgment. The 31 attorneys general argue this straightforward rule should apply to the $3.5 billion in frozen funds.
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