Four human rights organizations in the United States have taken legal action against the administration of President Donald Trump regarding sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court (ICC), alleging that the sanctions are illegal. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday 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 legal action contends that President Trump overstepped his authority by issuing an executive order in February 2025 that allowed for sanctions against ICC personnel and any individuals or entities supporting the court. These sanctions were triggered by 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, charges that Israel has denied.
The plaintiffs argue that the sanctions have impeded their human rights and legal activities, violating their constitutional rights, including freedom of speech. Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, emphasized during an online news conference that by targeting the ICC through these sanctions, the Trump administration is undermining the rule of law essential for safety and the promotion of human rights globally.
In response to inquiries about the lawsuit, a White House official described the ICC as politicized and criticized its purported unrestricted authority to investigate and prosecute U.S. and allied nationals. The official stated that the United States would take necessary actions to protect its sovereignty and allies from what it considers illegitimate actions by the ICC.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, is responsible for investigating and prosecuting individuals accused of war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and aggression. The relationship between the U.S. and the ICC has been tumultuous for years, with tensions escalating notably under the Trump administration, which sanctioned the ICC’s former chief prosecutor and several judges, including Canada’s Kimberly Prost.
The U.S. government recently intensified efforts to “dismantle” the ICC, arguing that it poses a threat to American sovereignty. The administration faced another lawsuit from advocacy groups alleging that the sanctions infringe on freedom of speech and constrain Palestinian human rights advocacy.
Additionally, three sanctioned ICC judges, including Prost, filed a lawsuit in June, asserting that the sanctions are an unlawful attempt to influence their judicial independence. The ongoing legal battles reflect the deep-rooted clash between the U.S. administration and the ICC over jurisdiction and authority.
In a separate legal development on the same day, U.S. legal organizations petitioned a judge to affirmatively establish that the Trump administration cannot restrict birthright citizenship. Despite a Supreme Court ruling rejecting attempts to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to unauthorized or temporary resident parents, President Trump issued executive orders seeking to limit birthright citizenship. The ACLU and other groups argued in their court filing that these orders circumvent the Supreme Court’s clear directive and urged the court to prevent the government from revoking citizenship through executive actions.