Suing the Saudis Would Make the U.S. a Legal Target

It's not easy to defend an obscure legal doctrine against claims for justice from the victims of the worst terrorist attack ever to take place on U.S. soil. But doing so has become a necessity, since Congress has decided to rewrite U.S. law on sovereign immunity.

Last week the Senate unanimously passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which authorizes U.S. courts to hear civil claims for monetary damages against a foreign state accused of direct involvement in a terrorist act harming an American citizen in the U.S. Under current law, almost all foreign nations are immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts.