An email received today –
Subject: U.S. v. KSM et al Update as of 24 October 2019
Date: October 24, 2019 at 4:30:56 PM EDT
Dear 9/11 Families,
As you are aware, the Military Judge set a trial date in U.S. v. KSM et al for 11 January 2021. A copy of the first Trial Scheduling Order is releasable to the public and is attached to this email. In AE653 (also attached), Judge Cohen set an aggressive hearing schedule for 2020, with 22 weeks of hearings on the docket. He invited the parties to submit proposed modifications to the 2020 schedule, and the parties have done so.
More recently, on October 16, 2019, Judge Cohen issued an Amended Trial Scheduling Order, which is still under security review, but will be shortly summarized below.
In AE639M (AMEND), the Military Judge stated that all sessions scheduled in January, February and March 2020 will remain as previously scheduled. At the conclusion of the March/April 2020 session (three weeks), Judge Cohen will make a decision as to the rest of the calendar year sessions. However, the trial date remains scheduled for January 2021. When the Amended Trial Scheduling Order is releasable to the public, we will forward that to you.
As to the current docket, some defense teams have filed Motions to Suppress the statements that the accused made to the FBI. These are complex motions that have some witnesses in common, and evidence in common. This litigation will likely take most of these sessions to complete.
Due to the shortened planning cycle for January – April 2020, we want to plan your travel now, if you would like to attend.
The weeks in question are (inclusive of travel days):
17-25 January;
24 January – 1 February;
7-15 February;
14-22 February;
13-21 March;
20-28 March;
27 March – 4 April.
As always, please give us your first three choices for dates of travel. January and February paperwork will be submitted by mid-November.
We will conclude the 2019 travel to GTMO over the next two weeks of hearings; 28 October – 8 November.
Very Respectfully,
Karen V. Loftus
Director, Victim Witness Assistance Program
Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions
