Human rights organizations file federal lawsuit challenging Trump administration sanctions on ICC

Four prominent non-governmental organizations filed a joint federal lawsuit contesting executive sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the International Criminal Court, arguing the penalties unlawfully disrupt global war crimes prosecutions.

The legal challenge, brought by Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Open Society Institute, and the American Friends Service Committee, targets an executive order enacted in February 2025. The presidential directive established financial sanctions and travel bans against ICC officials, judges, and affiliated advocacy groups involved in investigating alleged war crimes in Palestinian territory, including cases involving senior Israeli officials.

Attorneys representing the civil rights organizations contend that the broad scope of the sanctions violates First Amendment protections regarding free speech and association. The suit asserts that the threat of severe civil and criminal penalties has effectively forced US-based legal advocates to suspend representation of victims before the tribunal, while halting formal collaborations with sanctioned international rights groups.

The filing marks the latest in a series of legal challenges against the administration’s broader push to limit the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court. Representatives for the US Department of State and Department of Justice did not immediately issue formal statements regarding the lawsuit.