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| Long title | An act to deter terrorism, provide justice for victims, and for other purposes. |
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| Enacted by | the 114th United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 114–222 (text) (PDF) |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 |
| Legislative history | |
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| United States Supreme Court cases | |
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The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) (Pub. L. 114–222 (text) (PDF)) is a law enacted by the United States Congress that narrows the scope of the legal doctrine of foreign sovereign immunity. It amends the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act in regards to civil claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damages from an act of international terrorism on U.S. soil.
The bill passed the Senate with no opposition in May 2016 and, in September 2016, was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives. On September 28, 2016, both houses of Congress passed the bill into law after overriding a veto from President Obama which had occurred five days earlier. This was the only presidential veto override of Obama's administration.[1]
The practical effect of the legislation was to allow the continuation of a longstanding civil lawsuit brought by families of victims of the September 11 attacks against Saudi Arabia for its government's alleged role in the attacks, though the law does not mention Saudi Arabia by name.[2]
- ^ "U.S. Senate: President Veto Counts". www.senate.gov. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "S.2040 – Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2016.