The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and two alleged accomplices seeking to revive plea deals the government later withdrew, NBC News, CBS News and SCOTUSblog reported.

The court turned away the appeals from Mohammed, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash without comment, SCOTUSblog and CBS News reported. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not take part, CBS News reported.

The three men reached plea agreements with military prosecutors in 2024 that would have had them plead guilty and serve life sentences, avoiding the death penalty, CBS News and NBC News reported. Days later, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the deals, saying he had the authority to do so, NBC News reported.

A military judge ruled in November 2024 that Austin's move was unlawful, and a military appeals court agreed, CBS News reported. But a federal appeals court in Washington later sided with the government. "The Secretary acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment," the panel wrote, according to CBS News. The Supreme Court's refusal leaves that ruling in place, SCOTUSblog reported.

The decision removes one barrier to Mohammed standing trial before a military commission in 2028, where the death penalty is possible, NBC News reported. In August, the judge overseeing the cases set a trial date of June 2028, which depends on the parties meeting certain deadlines, CBS News reported.

The men were captured in 2003, held at secret CIA prisons where they were subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques," or torture, and moved to Guantanamo Bay in 2006, CBS News reported. They were formally charged in 2008, CBS News reported. The cases have been slowed for years by fights over whether evidence obtained during interrogations can be used in court, CBS News reported.

What we know: The Supreme Court declined to hear the appeals, so the withdrawal of the plea deals stands and a death-penalty trial remains possible.
What we don't: Whether the trial will start on schedule in June 2028, given years of delays.