Four prominent U.S. human rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Trump administration's sanctions against the International Criminal Court, arguing the measures violate the First Amendment and undermine global accountability for war crimes.
The 101-page complaint, lodged in a New York court, names Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Attorney General Todd Blanche as defendants. The plaintiffs — Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Open Society Institute — contend the sanctions, authorized by a February 2025 executive order, constitute an unlawful abuse of power. The restrictions bar ICC judges from entering the United States and freeze any U.S.-linked financial assets.
The sanctions followed the ICC's November 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The administration has since mounted a broader diplomatic campaign urging allies to withdraw from the court. The United Nations and the European Union have previously called on Washington to lift the restrictions.