Sotomayor Declines to Pause $655.5 Million Judgment Against Palestinian Authority

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday declined to pause a $655.5 million judgment against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization stemming from attacks that killed and wounded Americans in Israel during the Second Intifada.

Sotomayor rejected the request without explanation and without referring it to the full court. The decision allows collection efforts to continue while the Palestinian Authority and PLO prepare another appeal. It does not constitute a ruling by the Supreme Court on the merits of that appeal.

The organizations had asked the court to freeze the judgment, arguing it should not have been revived after previously being overturned. They also warned that enforcing the award now could worsen the Palestinian Authority’s financial difficulties and disrupt schools, hospitals, sanitation and security services in the Judea-Samaria region.

The lawsuit was filed by American victims and relatives of those killed or injured in shootings and bombings in and around Jerusalem between 2002 and 2004. A New York jury found in their favor in 2015 and awarded $218.5 million in damages, which was automatically tripled under U.S. anti-terrorism law to $655.5 million.