For the first time in President Obama’s two terms in the White House, Congress has enacted legislation without his signature.

The House and Senate on Wednesday voted by a wide margin to override Obama’s veto of a bill that would allow victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue a foreign government—namely, Saudi Arabia—in U.S. court, even if it had not been designated a state sponsor of terrorism. The president, in rejecting the measure, had warned that undercutting the principle of “sovereign immunity” could lead to retaliation against U.S. interests abroad, including countries that would try to bring legal action against American soldiers and diplomats overseas.

Forced to choose between 9/11 victims and the White House, however, U.S. lawmakers overwhelmingly sided with the victims. The vote in the Senate was nearly (97 to 1) unanimous, with only Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid supporting the president’s veto. The House voted about two hours later and passed the bill into law on a tally of 348-77. Each chamber needed a two-thirds majority to override the veto, and both reached the threshold easily. Obama’s 11 previous vetoes have been sustained, but every president since Lyndon Johnson has seen Congress override at least one of their veto messages..........

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