Supreme Court Denies Stay of $656M Judgment Against PLO

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined on Monday, August 3, to halt a $656 million judgment against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. The decision allows a long-running civil lawsuit filed by American victims of attacks in Israel to proceed toward collection.

The case stems from a series of shootings and bombings in the Jerusalem area between 2002 and 2004 that killed 33 people and wounded hundreds more, including U.S. citizens. Families of the victims sued under U.S. anti-terrorism laws, initially winning a judgment in federal court in New York in 2015. That verdict was later overturned on appeal, leading to a protracted legal battle that saw Congress intervene.

In 2019, Congress passed the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, a law designed to facilitate lawsuits against Palestinian authorities by establishing that they consent to U.S. jurisdiction under certain conditions. After the Supreme Court upheld that law in a 9-0 decision in June 2025, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the massive financial judgment this past March.

The Palestinian authorities had urgently requested a stay from Justice...