Matt Campbell, brother of British 9/11 victim Geoff Campbell, released the following statement today, July 2, 2025:
Yesterday the High Court (Lord Justice Stuart‑Smith and Mr Justice Chamberlain) ruled that the Attorney General’s refusal to authorise our application for a new inquest into my brother Geoff’s death is, under current authority, ‘not justiciable’ and therefore immune from judicial review. While we respect the Court’s decision, we are naturally disappointed that it felt bound by precedent dating back to Gouriet v Union of Post Office Workers (1978) and subsequent cases that have extended its reasoning.
Our legal team is now considering next steps. Given the Court’s own acknowledgment that the current state of the law is ‘anomalous’, we take this as recognition that placing the Attorney General’s refusal beyond judicial scrutiny sits uneasily with the modern law of judicial review. Since the Court also accepted that only the Supreme Court can revisit the scope of Gouriet’s immunity, we are minded to ask the High Court for a ‘leap frog’ certificate so that we may seek permission to appeal directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing the Court of Appeal, which would itself be constrained by Gouriet.
We remain optimistic that the Supreme Court will agree that a decision under Section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988 is unlike the Attorney General’s traditional prosecutorial or prerogative functions. As we have argued, the fiat under Section 13 is a straightforward legal gateway: it merely determines whether an interested family may place new evidence before an independent court. It involves no political judgment, no weighing of public policy, and no interference with criminal prosecutions. In modern public law, such a statutory ‘gate‑keeping’ power ought to be subject to the same standards of legality and rationality that bind every other public decision‑maker in Britain.
The Court accepted that our fresh evidence — including expert analysis pointing to the use of explosives in the destruction of the Twin Towers — was extensive and detailed, but it could not be examined unless the justiciability barrier is removed. We are determined to overcome that barrier so that a full, open, and fearless investigation into Geoff’s death can finally take place, bringing truth and accountability not only for our family but for all 9/11 families who still seek answers.
We thank our counsel, Nick Bowen KC and Nick Stanage, as well as the International Center for 9/11 Justice and the many supporters who stand with us. Our fight for justice continues.
