Supreme Court Rejects 9/11 Deal
Justices declined to revive a plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
October 19, 2026 · Updated Oct 19, 11:50am ET
CNNSupreme Court backs Pentagon decision to throw out plea deals for 9/11 alleged conspirators
CBS NewsSupreme Court turns away appeal from alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Washington TimesSupreme Court rejects effort to revive Khalid Sheikh Mohammed plea deal
The GuardianSupreme court rejects effort to revive plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in 9/11 attacks
NBC NewsSupreme Court rejects alleged 9/11 mastermind’s attempt to revive plea deal
AxiosSupreme Court won't revive accused 9/11 mastermind's plea deal
Political WireJustices Turn Away Appeal From Alleged 9/11 Mastermind
USA TODAYSupreme Court won't revive 9/11 plea deal to end long-delayed prosecution
25%
Left · 2
63%
Center · 5
12%
Right · 1
Pano rates the coverage Mostly Center.
What happened
The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Khalid Sheikh MohammedPakistani militant who was a member of al-Qaeda and co-defendants Mustafa al-Hawsawi
Mustafa al-Hawsawial-Qaida leader and Walid bin Attash
Waalid bin AttaashYemeni terror suspect. That leaves in place a decision blocking their plea deals. The 2024 agreements would have required guilty pleas and life sentences, removing the death penalty. The men are accused of helping plan and carry out the September 11 attacks, and have been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006. A military judge found the deals valid, but the D.C. Circuit upheld Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
Lloyd J. Austin IIIUnited States 28th Secretary of Defense’s authority to cancel them. Austin withdrew the agreements days after approval, saying the decision should rest with him. A military trial is tentatively set for June 2028.
How the left told it
Left-leaning outlets framed the ruling as returning the case to a slow military system, with a trial still years away and its timing uncertain. CNN said the decision put the case back before military courts that have long struggled to set a trial. The Guardian quoted a divided appeals court panel saying Austin acted within his authority, and quoted victims’ relatives divided over whether justice required a trial or plea agreements could finally end the case.
How the right told it
Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: Washington Times, under the headline “Supreme Court rejects effort to revive Khalid Sheikh Mohammed plea deal”.
