Sonia Sotomayor refuses to pause $655M judgment against Palestinian Authority over attack claims

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday declined to pause a $655.5 million judgment against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The judgment stems from attacks during the Second Intifada that killed and wounded Americans in Israel between 2002 and 2004. Sotomayor's decision, made without explanation, allows collection efforts to proceed while the PA and PLO prepare a further appeal. The Palestinian organizations had argued that the judgment, initially awarded in 2015 and then overturned in 2016, should not have been revived, warning that collection could exacerbate the PA's financial crisis and disrupt essential services in the West Bank. The case was reinstated after Congress changed US anti-terrorism law, a change upheld by the Supreme Court in 2025.