Families of Sept. 11 victims asked a federal appeals court on Wednesday to order the government to release documents<\/a> they say tie the Saudi Arabian government to the plot to hijack airplanes and crash them into New York and D.C.<\/p>\n After 90 minutes of legal questioning over the fate of their lawsuit against the Saudi government, families of the 9\/11 victims seemed hopeful that a panel of appellate judges would allow their case to move forward and to continue pursuing evidence about the Kingdom’s role in the attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n “[The judges] were not buying what [Saudi Arabia] were selling,” said Terry Strada, whose husband was killed in the attacks and who publicly called on the Trump administration last month to support their efforts. “This was a very good day for us.”<\/p>\n The Tribute in Light is illuminated over the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center on the 24th anniversary of the 9\/11 attacks in New York City, September 11, 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Gary Hershorn\/ABC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Saudis want the case thrown out, claiming they have immunity from civil litigation as a sovereign foreign government despite Congress enacting a law nearly a decade ago meant to grant victims of terrorism the opportunity to sue alleged state sponsors of terrorism.\u00a0<\/p>\n The three-judge panel of appellate judges on Wednesday largely steered clear of the merits of the case — whether the Saudi government supported hijackers who carried out attacks in Washington and New York — and focused narrowly on dense jurisdictional matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hearing in the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York extended long past the allotted time for oral presentations.<\/p>\n A firefighter pauses at the memorial ahead of a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center at the National 9\/11 Memorial & Museum on September 11, 2026 in New York City.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Spencer Platt\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If the judges rule in favor of the families, the case could proceed to trial as soon as next year and would open the door for the families to pursue more evidence that could cast light on the Kingdom’s role in the attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Give us our trial … we want our day in court,\u201d Brett Eagleson, who lost his father on 9\/11, said at a news conference following the hearing. “What you saw today is Saudi Arabia grasping at straws.”<\/p>\n Both Eagleson and Strada reiterated past calls for the Trump administration to step in and “hold [the Saudi government] accountable\u201d and to “put America first.”<\/p>\n Bruce Eagleson’s name is displayed among the September 11 victims at the 9\/11 Memorial reflecting pools.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ABC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The judges took the matter under advisement. Lawyers involved in the case don’t expect a ruling until early 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n With past presidents in attendance at this year\u2019s 9\/11 commemoration in New York, marking 25 years since the attacks, several family members openly faulted the U.S. government for keeping these materials secret.<\/p>\n![\"al-Qaeda\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/bcdf3f7a-523b-4788-88a0-b3b1c0cdeeff\/tribute-911-2-gmh-260828_1787920127874_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"al-Qaeda\\"")
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