Military judge blocks Pentagon chief's move in major 9/11 case decision
Pentagon faces new direction after military judge upholds summer plea agreements for 9/11 case defendants. Court decided Defense Secretary cant cancel deals that prevent death penalty
A military-court ruling from early Nov has limited Defense Secretary Lloyd Austinʼs authority in high-profile 9/11 cases. Air Force Col Matthew McCall made a decision that blocks attempts to cancel previous agreements with defendants
The original deals (made this past summer) let three alleged Sept 11 attack planners avoid death-row sentences if they plead guilty. The judge stated that Austin didnt have legal power to throw out these already-finalized arrangements; his ruling came after careful review of existing military-law guidelines
The Pentagon must now re-think its strategy — the judgeʼs decision means previous plea bargains stay active. This affects three suspects who were part of the 2001 terror plot‚ their legal status remains tied to the original summer agreements
