Scotus Blog: US opposes 9/11 attackers’ Supreme Court bid to avoid death penalty 

On Wednesday, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the court “to reject a bid by alleged Sept. 11 attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a co-defendant to restore plea agreements that would spare them the death penalty,” according to the Washington Examiner. The filings came in response to the alleged attackers’ request for the court to review “a federal appeals court ruling that allowed the Pentagon to withdraw from the agreements.” “A Pentagon official under the Biden administration 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,” but a military judge later ruled “that Austin acted too late because the defendants had already begun carrying out their obligations” under the plea agreements. “A military appeals court upheld that decision. However, the D.C. Circuit reversed course in July 2025, blocking the military judge from accepting the guilty pleas and allowing the Pentagon’s withdrawal to stand.”