‘Open sore’: Families face agonizing wait as 9/11 mastermind's trial pushed nearly 27 years after attacks

# Analysis The repeated postponement of the 9/11 trial represents a fundamental breakdown in the American justice system's ability to deliver accountability, with consequences that extend far beyond the courtroom. For the nearly 3,000 families who lost relatives in the attacks, a 2028 trial date means many will never see justice resolved within their lifetimes—a reality that transforms the legal process from closure into what families themselves describe as an open wound. The case exposes the deep structural failures created by the CIA's post-9/11 detention and interrogation programs; legal challenges over torture evidence, classified materials, and contested custody arrangements have proven nearly insurmountable obstacles that may ultimately prevent convictions regardless of trial outcome. This prolonged limbo also sets a dangerous precedent for indefinite detention without trial, suggesting the U.S. government can hold terrorism suspects in military custody for decades with minimal judicial pressure to proceed, fundamentally undermining the rule of law while simultaneously denying victims the finality they deserve.