Today in New York City a legal battle for the integrity of the Grand Jury process and the First Amendment Right to Petition for Redress is being waged.

On Friday night March 20, 2020 Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry Litigation Director, Mick Harrison, and his co-counsel, Lawyers' Committee Board Director John O'Kelly, filed an historic 4 count First Amended Complaint in the Southern District of New York against the United States Attorney for the Southern District, Geoffrey Berman, the Department of Justice, and the United States Attorney General, William Barr, demanding relief from the Federal Courts concerning the Petition from the Lawyers’ Committee to the United States Attorney to present to a Grand Jury evidence of federal crimes involving the use of explosive and incendiaries at the World Trade Center on 9/11. To date, 19 years after the fact no Grand Jury criminal investigation concerning the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11 has been convened. (See the First Amended Complaint)

The Lawyers' Committee requests that the United States Attorney Geoffrey Berman be judicially compelled either to provide some indication that he is acting in good faith and presenting the evidence previously given to him by the Lawyers' Committee in 2018 to the Grand Jury, or, if he is not presenting the evidence, for an Order from the Judge instructing him to perform his mandatory duty to present to a Grand Jury the evidence of explosives and incendiaries involved in the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers previously given to him in the Lawyers’ Committee Petition.

United States Attorney Berman had written to the Lawyers' Committee on November 7, 2018 stating that he had read and reviewed the submissions given to him by the Lawyers' Committee and that he would comply with the law 18 USC 3332 regarding the submissions. The Lawyer's Committee has no way of knowing whether he is complying and, therefore, is requesting that the Federal Court Judge order the United States Attorney to comply with the law.

In addition to the Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, co-plaintiffs included are: Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and Richard Gage, Jeanne Evans who lost her brother, Nassau County, Franklin Square-Munson Fire Commissioner Christopher Gioia, Diana Hetzel who lost her husband, Bob Mcilvaine who lost his son, and NYC Fire Chief Michael J. O'Kelly. (See the declarations)

The Defendants previously claimed through Court filings that the Plaintiff's Administrative Procedure Act and Federal Mandamus statute suit to compel a Grand Jury presentation should be dismissed for lack of standing. The Lawyers' Committee exercised their right to amend the Complaint to add additional plaintiffs and also added an additional count based on a Constitutional argument related to the First Amendment's People's Right to Petition the Government for Redress of Grievances.

The United States Attorney has fourteen days to respond to the First Amended Complaint.

Please support the Lawyers' Committee in our effort through Grand Juries to attain government transparency and accountability for the crimes of 9/11.

Thank you,
David R. Meiswinkle
President/Executive Director
Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry