Four leading U.S. human rights organizations on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s sweeping sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), arguing that the measures unlawfully restrict their ability to monitor international justice, conduct research and advocate for accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The102-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, was brought by Human Rights Watch, the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Open Society Institute. The groups allege that the sanctions exceed the president’s authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, violate the Administrative Procedure Act, and infringe their rights under the First and Fifth Amendments and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Executive Order at the Centre of the DisputeThe lawsuit targets President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14203, issued on February 6, 2025, titled“Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court”. The order authorizes the government to block property and restrict entry into the United States for certain ICC officials and foreign individuals who assist court investigations or prosecutions involving citizens of the U.S. or its allies without those countries’ consent.
Trump declared such ICC actions an“unusual and extraordinary threat”to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The administration has since used the order to sanction a growing list of individuals and organizations connected to the court’s work.
A Growing List of Sanctioned TargetsThe Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated several high-profile figures and organizations under the sanctions framework:
Karim Khan, then-ICC Prosecutor, was sanctioned in February 2025, preventing Americans from conducting business with him.Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, was sanctioned in July 2025 for what the administration described as“biased and malicious activities”.Three Palestinian human rights organizations— Al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights — were designated in September 2025 for their role in supporting ICC investigations into Israeli officials.ICC judgesinvolved in proceedings concerning Afghanistan and Palestine have also been sanctioned.The Plaintiffs’ ArgumentsThe rights groups argue that the sanctions have forced them to limit work involving the ICC and sanctioned individuals and organizations, interfering with their ability to:
In their complaint, the organizations argue that the sanctions constitute a“blatantly illegal attack on international justice”.They contend that the restrictions interfere with work extending beyond the court’s investigations involving Israel and the United States.
“Freedom of speech and the right to petition the government are fundamental to our democracy. The administration cannot use sanctions to silence organisations that advocate for international accountability,” a statement from the groups said.
The ICC’s Arrest Warrants Against Israeli OfficialsThe conflict between the administration and the ICC intensified after the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024. The ICC found reasonable grounds to believe the two bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare, committed in Gaza since October 8, 2023.
The court rejected Israel’s jurisdictional challenge, finding that Israel’s acceptance of the ICC’s jurisdiction was not required because the court could exercise territorial jurisdiction through Palestine.
Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. The Trump administration has maintained that the court lacks the authority to investigate or prosecute citizens of countries that have not consented to its jurisdiction.
A Broader Campaign Against the CourtThe lawsuit comes as the administration has expanded its broader campaign against the ICC. In July 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a sweeping campaign to“dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty,”featuring a whole-of-government response to“systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate”.
A White House official defended the administration’s actions on Tuesday, arguing that the ICC’s conduct infringes on the sovereignty and national security of the United States and Israel.
Previous Legal ChallengesTuesday’s filing follows other legal challenges to the sanctions. In June 2026, three ICC judges sued the Trump administration, alleging that sanctions imposed over their involvement in proceedings concerning Afghanistan and Palestine exceeded presidential authority and violated federal law and the Fifth Amendment. Two U.S. advocacy organisations filed another lawsuit in July, arguing that sanctions targeting ICC and UN officials interfered with their human rights advocacy for Palestinian rights and violated the First Amendment.
What Happens NextThe case, filed in the Southern District of New York, is expected to proceed through the federal court system. The plaintiffs are seeking a declaratory judgment that the sanctions are unlawful and an injunction barring their enforcement.
No date has yet been set for oral arguments. The case is likely to raise significant constitutional questions about the scope of presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the limits of executive power in foreign affairs.
