Families of people killed on September 11, 2001, have waited almost 25 years for a chance to make their case in court. Now three federal appeals judges in New York will decide whether that chance survives. The court should let the claims against Saudi Arabia move forward to trial.

Hundreds of survivors and relatives of victims have sued, joined by insurers and businesses. They allege that Saudi government employees knowingly helped at least two of the hijackers, and that Saudi funding of charities helped al-Qaida grow into a terrorist group. Saudi Arabia has long denied any role in the attacks. No court has ruled on whether the claims are true. That is exactly the point: the families are asking for the chance to present their evidence and let a court weigh it.

Saudi Arabia wants the appeals court to remove it from the case. Its lawyers argue that, as a foreign nation, it is shielded from these lawsuits under a legal rule called sovereign immunity. In August 2025, U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels ruled that the case could go forward in federal court, and Saudi Arabia appealed.

On October 7, 2026, more than 100 family members filled the courtroom to hear the arguments. Terry Strada, whose husband Tom was killed in the attacks, came away encouraged. “It really was a good day for us,” she told The Associated Press.

The judges have not said when they will rule. After a quarter-century of waiting, the families deserve to have the facts heard in open court.

Sign the petition to tell the federal appeals court: let the 9/11 families’ case against Saudi Arabia go to trial. Twenty-five years is long enough to wait.