Two US nonprofits, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the Taxpayers Alliance Against Genocide (TAAG), have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC). The sanctions, which were issued via an executive order in February 2025, authorize punitive measures against ICC staffers, including sanctions and bans on entering the United States.

Background

The Trump administration issued the executive order in response to what it described as the ICC’s “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.” The ICC has been investigating alleged war crimes in Gaza, and the Trump administration has been critical of the court’s actions.

The lawsuit, which was filed in a Manhattan federal court, seeks to bar the Trump administration from using the executive order to prevent US citizens from supporting investigations into US and Israeli abuses. The nonprofits claim that the sanctions “unconstitutionally restrict Americans from seeking justice on Palestine at the ICC and working with human rights defenders designated solely for calling on the ICC to investigate Israeli and American nationals.”

Reaction

Omar Shakir, executive director of DAWN, stated that the Trump administration’s efforts to scrutinize the ICC and other bodies seeking accountability undermine the constitutional rights of Americans to advocate for justice. He also warned that the impact of the ICC sanctions weakens the ability of Americans to petition their own government.

The lawsuit is the first to aim to stop Trump-appointed officials from using sanctions law to bar Americans from supporting the ICC’s investigations into US and Israeli atrocity crimes, or from working with UN special human rights envoy Francesca Albanese and the sanctioned Palestinian NGOs.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.