Court: Saudi Arabia not liable in Sept. 11 attacks

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Twin Cities

NEW YORK—A federal appeals court has ruled that Saudi Arabia and four of its princes cannot be held liable in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The appeals court issued the ruling Thursday, saying the Saudi defendants are protected by sovereign immunity. It also agreed with a lower court that a Saudi banker and a charitable organization cannot be held liable.

Read more: http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_10201807

---

Just a headline reminder that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and Iraq had no al_CIAda before lil bush invaded it.

[alfredo]

1. I wonder if it was bush loyalist on that court?

[blm]

2. a Bush loyalist made sure Iraq was found guilty in 2003 in a 9-11 family suit.

This is how BushInc used our justice system to set up Iraq as the guilty party.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3773024&mesg_id=3796510

[cosmicdot]

31. maybe even 2 loyalists

Eric Nicholas Vitaliano is one of Bu$h's* stolen-presidency appointees/& blessed by the Senate
Senate Confirms Seven Judges in Waning Hours of Session (December 2005)
"His appointment also had bipartisan support, from Republican Gov. George Pataki and Sen. Charles Schumer.."
http://www.metnews.com/articles/2005/judg122305.htm

Dennis G. Jacobs is one of read my lips Poppy Bu$h's nominations (note his experience prior to appointment: private practice)

the 3rd judge, Cabranes, is a Carter/Clinton appointee

pdf link to decision:

http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov:8080/isysnative/RDpcT3BpbnNcT1BOXDA2LTAzMTktY3Zfb3BuLnBkZg==/06-0319-cv_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov:8080/isysquery/irldcc3/11/hilite

UNITED STATES COURT of APPEALS for the SECOND CIRCUIT's website:
http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/opinions.htm

(Argued: January 18, 2008 Decided: August 14, 2008)
10
11 Docket No. 06-0319-cv(L)
12
13 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x
14
15
16 IN RE TERRORIST ATTACKS ON
17 SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
18
19
20 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -x
21
22 Before: JACOBS, Chief Judge, CABRANES, Circuit
23 Judge, VITALIANO, District Judge.*

bios found at http://www.fjc.gov/

Jacobs, Dennis G.

Born 1944 in New York, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Nominated by George H.W. Bush on March 20, 1992, to a seat vacated by Wilfred Feinberg; Confirmed by the Senate on September 29, 1992, and received commission on October 2, 1992. Served as chief judge, 2006-present.

Education:
Queens College, City University of New York, B.A., 1964

New York University, M.A., 1965

New York University School of Law, J.D., 1973

Professional Career:
Private practice, New York City, 1973-1992

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male


Cabranes, Jose Alberto

Born 1940 in Mayaguez, PR

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, District of Connecticut
Nominated by Jimmy Carter on November 6, 1979, to a seat vacated by Jon O. Newman; Confirmed by the Senate on December 5, 1979, and received commission on December 10, 1979. Served as chief judge, 1992-1994. Service terminated on August 12, 1994, due to appointment to another judicial position.

Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Nominated by William J. Clinton on May 24, 1994, to a seat vacated by Richard J. Cardamone; Confirmed by the Senate on August 9, 1994, and received commission on August 10, 1994.

Education:
Columbia University, A.B., 1961

Yale Law School, J.D., 1965

Queens` College, University of Cambridge, England, M.Litt., 1967

Professional Career:
Supervisor in law, Queens' College, University of Cambridge, England, 1966-1967
Private practice, New York City, 1967-1971
Associate professor of law, Rutgers University School of Law, 1971-1973
Special counsel to the Governor of Puerto Rico, Washington, DC, 1973-1975
General counsel and director of government relations, Yale University, 1975-1979


Race or Ethnicity: Hispanic

Gender: Male


Vitaliano, Eric Nicholas

Born 1948 in Staten Island, NY

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Nominated by George W. Bush on October 6, 2005, to a seat vacated by Arthur D. Spatt; Confirmed by the Senate on December 21, 2005, and received commission on January 19, 2006.

Education:
Fordham College, B.A., 1968

New York University School of Law, J.D., 1971

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Mark A. Costantino, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1971-1972
Private practice, New York, 1972-1979, 1981-1985, 1999-2001
Chief of staff, U.S. Rep. John M. Murphy, 1979-1981
Member, New York State Assembly, 1983-2002
Judge, New York State Unified Court System, 2002-2005

Race or Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

[alfredo]

34. Poppy bush is even closer to the Saudis than his dim son,

[vinylsolution]

3. Weren't the Saudis being represented....

... by James Baker's law firm? (long-time Bush family allies)

[Raster]

7. Why, yes they were!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baker

Baker Botts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_%26_Botts

Baker is often referred to as the "Bush Family Consigliori."

Baker Botts is THE lawfirm of the Texas Petroleum Mafia.

We retort, you decide.

[redqueen]

15. Of course...

x(

[BrklynLiberal]

4. 15 of the attackers were from Saudi Arabia, Iraq had nothing to do with it. This whole thing stinks!

[Politicalboi]

5. The names of the 4 princes

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfailed, and Condi. They should be executed for their part in 9/11.

[MadMaddie]

35. After all they did committ "Treason"!!

[ladjf]

6. We are living in the awful "Era of the Total Cover up".

[annabanana]

8. oh friggen kick for aggravation!. . . n/t

[harun]

9. Good rulings (n/t)

[indepat]

10. Well ain't that shocking and so special and how convenient

:P

[Nickster]

11. I wish they had more detail. I wonder if the charitable organization that they mention was the same

one that Judith Miller blew the cover of Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation for. Hmmmm.

[iamthebandfanman]

12. well thats not suprising

i mean, they only accept the hardest line of islam as their national faith and use it to dictate their laws and dictatorship....
but nah, they arent responsible. they just told them to do, they didnt actually put them on the plane. duh.

[windoe]

13. Crooks covering for each other

-they can 'declare' anything they want, they are full of lies and deceit.

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. And yet, somehow, Saddam Hussein was NOT protected by "sovereign immunity"

Despite the facts that A) Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks and B) Hussein, unlike the Saudi princes, was a democratically elected head of state.

[Gregorian]

30. Ah. Good thinking.

This is a very good point.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Boy, who DIDN'T see this one coming?

[lovuian]

17. So they can help kill thousands of americans and because

they are kings from another freakin country ...they can't get prosecuted

there is something very very wrong here

[The Sushi Bandit]

18. Saudi Arabia immune in 9/11 case

Source: CURRENT TV & Reuters



NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, four princes and other Saudi entities are immune from a lawsuit filed by victims of the September 11 attacks and their families alleging they gave material support to al Qaeda, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday.

The ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a 2006 ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Casey dismissing a claim against Saudi Arabia, a Saudi charity, four princes and a Saudi banker of providing material support to al Qaeda before the September 11 attacks.

The victims and their families argued that because the defendants gave money to Muslim charities that in turn gave money to al Qaeda, they should be held responsible for helping to finance the attacks.

The appeals court found that the defendants are protected under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The court also noted that exceptions to the immunity rule do not apply because Saudi Arabia has not been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department.

Read more: http://current.com/items/89203339_saudi_arabia_immune_in_9_11_case

[madeline_con]

19. Repeal the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act!!!

I think the feds are afraid a REAL investigation would expose their part in the worst terrorist attack on American soil.

[MadMaddie]

21. Agreed!

Suadi Arabia had everything to do with 9/11. * let them walk right out of this country or shall I say fly, while Americans could not go anywhere.

There is a conspiracy and they are trying to cover it up before their last days.

This is bigger than anyone can imagine.

[The Backlash Cometh]

26. And, Dick Clarke said he delegated the decision to allow the bin Ladens

cover to fly out of the USA, to the FBI. The same FBI that is now saying that Bruce Ivins was behind the anthrax. And, um, the same FBI that gave Sibel Edmonds are hard time.

I no likey the FBI today.

[2Design]

20. Saudi Arabia has not been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department. -

this is part of the BFEE crime family strategy - they are the country we needed to attack but instead we send them guns and roses

[MadMaddie]

36. O_I_L !!!

That's why they haven't been attacked!

[Ghost Dog]

22. Hint: The US Govt. is not covered by said Act. n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

23. So, what's the next step? The Supremes?

Will they vote in favor of the Saudis as well?

[sattahipdeep]

37. The kingdom

lawyers for the kingdom would have no comment until the litigation was completely over.

:puke:

[bulloney]

24. That's another thing that made Bush's case of invading Iraq so weak.

Bush kept arguing that Saddam was a terrorist and was murdering his own people. Hell, you can make that argument against Saudi Arabia and dozens of other countries, but we don't invade them, do we?

In Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9-11, it was pointed out that the Saudi Royal Family holds billions of dollars in U.S. investments. This is obviously a reason why we haven't leaned on them at all in connection with Bush's farcical "war on terror." If we piss them off, they'll pull their investments at least enough to create economic havoc in this country.

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. So let me see if I understand this...

A country, if it wants to attack the USA and get away with it, just has to follow this case setting method?

[MetaTrope]

27. And now Saudi Arabia is building Abu Ghraib Deluxe, where they can select and train the best

terrorists money can buy.

[SHRED]

28. Don't forget who defended the Saudis

James Baker III.

[leveymg]

29. The GOP-appointed bench still embraces the idea of the power of Kings, literally.

These guys should be wearing powdered whigs.

[Carolina]

32. yeah, right fifteen out of the nineteen

hijackers were Saudis as is Osama bin Laden...

But we're all idiots!

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v4.1
==================



This week is our third quarter 2008 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[underpants]

38. Didn't a court find Iraq liable for 9/11??

I have googled on it but can't find anything. I could have sworn that this was a huge Fox News talking point (surely RW funded case)

:shrug:

So Iraq could be liable but not Saudi Arabia....mmmkay

[goforit]

39. What judicial system is this!!!!