Human Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration Over ICC Sanctions

Four human rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Trump administration's sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute filed the complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit challenges Executive Order 14203, signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025, which authorized sanctions on ICC officials and those assisting its investigations.

The groups argue the sanctions unlawfully interfere with their work, violate their rights to free speech and association, and exceed the president's authority. They contend the measures have forced them to limit work such as representing war crimes victims and making legal submissions to the court. The administration has used the order to sanction ICC officials, including the former chief prosecutor, judges, a UN human rights expert, and three Palestinian rights organizations.

The groups describe the sanctions as a blatantly illegal attack on international justice. Federal courts in New York and Maine previously ruled in 2025 that a similar order breached free speech protections, blocking enforcement against claimants in those cases. The lawsuit follows a July announcement of a campaign to dismantle the court.