Four U.S. human rights organizations have taken legal action against the Trump administration for imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that these actions are illegal. The lawsuit was filed by the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute in the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit contends that President Trump overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order in February 2025 that allowed for sanctions against ICC personnel and individuals or groups supporting the court. These sanctions were imposed following the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants in late 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes in Gaza, which Israel has denied.
The plaintiffs argue that the sanctions have hindered their human rights and legal activities, infringing on their constitutional rights, including freedom of speech. Liz Evenson, the international justice director at Human Rights Watch, emphasized in an online news conference that the Trump administration’s actions undermine the rule of law and human rights protection.
In response to inquiries about the lawsuit, a White House official stated that the ICC is politicized and asserts unfettered discretion to prosecute U.S. nationals and allies. The official added that the U.S. will take necessary actions to safeguard its sovereignty and allies from what it deems as illegitimate ICC actions, without directly addressing the lawsuit.
The ICC, located in The Hague, investigates and prosecutes individuals for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression. The U.S. has had a strained relationship with the court for years, particularly exacerbated during the Trump administration, which previously sanctioned ICC officials.
Additionally, advocacy groups have challenged the Trump administration’s sanctions on the ICC, alleging violations of free speech and suppression of Palestinian human rights advocacy. Separately, three ICC judges, including one from Canada, filed a lawsuit asserting that the sanctions are an unlawful attempt to influence their judicial independence.
On a different legal front, U.S. legal organizations have sought court intervention to prevent the Trump administration from restricting birthright citizenship, following executive orders issued in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling on the matter. The groups argue that the government cannot revoke citizenship through executive orders in contravention of judicial decisions.