U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) commended President Donald Trump for signing into law a bill to help Americans who are victimized by acts of terrorism while abroad get justice.
Trump signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 (S. 2946), which will improve access to justice in U.S. courts for citizens who victims of terrorism abroad.
“This new and much-needed law will help Floridians and other Americans who are victims of terrorism internationally in their efforts to seek justice in federal courts,” said Rubio, who introduced the bill along with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Bill Nelson (D-FL). “I thank Judiciary Chairman Grassley, Senator Nelson and my fellow lawmakers for working together to advance this important legislation, and I applaud President Trump for signing this bill into law.”
The law improves justice in several ways. Currently, American victims of terrorism can use assets of a terrorist entity that are frozen by the U.S. government to satisfy judgments. However, until the passage of this law, assets frozen under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (“Kingpin Act”) were unavailable to victims of terrorism. The Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act says that assets previously blocked under the Kingpin Act are now available to victims.
The Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act also says that certain defendants who take advantage of benefits under certain U.S. laws shall be deemed to have consented to jurisdiction in U.S. courts for any Antiterrorism Act lawsuit.
Additionally, it clarifies that the “act of war” defense does not apply to acts carried out by entities designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government or anyone not considered a military force. This will help ensure that American victims of terrorism—including soldiers and other personnel serving abroad—have their day in court.