Four human rights organizations — the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute — have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC). The legal action, lodged Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, challenges President Donald Trump's February 2025 executive order authorizing penalties against ICC personnel and anyone supporting the court. The sanctions followed the ICC's 2024 issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The U.S. government denounced the warrants as baseless and accused the ICC of threatening American sovereignty, particularly after the court pursued investigations into U.S. actions in Afghanistan.
The plaintiffs argue the sanctions exceed presidential authority and infringe on constitutional rights, including freedom of speech, by restricting their human rights and legal advocacy work. Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, stated the administration's actions undermine the rule of law and global human rights norms. The lawsuit seeks a judicial declaration that the sanctions are unlawful. This case follows other legal challenges, including a June lawsuit by three sanctioned ICC judges, among them Canada's Kimberly Prost, who claim the penalties are an improper attempt to influence judicial independence. The Trump administration has intensified its campaign against the ICC, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the court of waging a "war" against the U.S. through international law. The White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit exposes a direct clash between executive power and judicial independence, with rights groups framing the sanctions as an attack on constitutional freedoms. If upheld, the precedent could limit how U.S. authorities target international legal bodies perceived as adversarial. This legal challenge tests the boundaries of presidential authority in foreign policy and its impact on domestic advocacy work.
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