![Moussaoui attorneys petition Supreme Court](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] Attorneys for Zacarias Moussaoui {JURIST Newsmaker] have filed a petition to the US Supreme Court seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that reinstated the US government's right to seek the death penalty against Moussaoui for his alleged involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks. In government custody since December 2001 on 6 charges of terrorism conspiracy, the government contends that Moussaoui was either destined to become "the 20th hijacker" in the 9/11 attacks or to lead follow-up terrorist attacks under orders from Osama bin Laden. The defense petition, which itself is classified, comes after the US Fouth Circuit Court of Appeals in April overturned [ruling; PDF] US district judge Leonie Brinkema's ruling that the government could not insist on the death penalty for Moussaoui while denying him access to possible exculpatory evidence. AP has more.