WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley reported to the full Senate in January.
The bipartisan bill holds accountable in U.S. courts foreign sponsors of terrorism that target American by preventing them from invoking “sovereign immunity” in cases involving terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. It also permits civil suits to be filed against foreign entities that have aided or abetted terrorists who conduct such attacks.
In the absence of this legislation, courts have blocked such terrorism-related claims that Congress intended to permit. This bill clarifies congressional intent to allow cases against foreign entities that raise money for, fund or otherwise assist terrorism operations carried out on American soil. Grassley is an original cosponsor of the bill, which was reported out of committee by a vote of 19-0.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act is the 15th bill to be reported out of the Judiciary Committee and passed by the Senate under Grassley’s leadership—all with bipartisan support. In the previous Congress under different management, only seven bills reported by the committee were passed by the full Senate.
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