Four prominent US human rights organizations have taken legal action against the Trump administration, arguing that its campaign against the International Criminal Court (ICC) unlawfully restricts their ability to pursue accountability for some of the world’s most serious crimes.
Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute, the American Friends Service Committee and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit in New York challenging sanctions imposed under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The groups say the sanctions regime has made it difficult for them to cooperate with the ICC on cases involving genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. They argue that the administration has exceeded presidential authority and infringed protections for free expression and religious freedom.
The legal challenge targets Trump’s renewed effort to weaken the Hague-based court, which Washington and Israel do not recognize as having jurisdiction over their officials.
The administration has defended its campaign by accusing the ICC of exceeding its authority and posing a threat to US sovereignty. The State Department made that argument in response to an earlier lawsuit brought by organizations involved in Palestinian human rights advocacy.
The latest case is not the first legal challenge to Trump’s sanctions. Three ICC judges have also sued the administration, separately contesting the measures imposed against court officials.
Trump’s confrontation with the ICC dates back to his first presidency. In 2020, his administration introduced a similar sanctions policy targeting individuals connected to the court. A US judge subsequently blocked that order, finding that it likely violated First Amendment protections. The Biden administration later withdrew the policy in 2021.
The Trump administration has since revived its pressure campaign with broader ambitions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that Washington intended to intensify diplomatic efforts against the ICC, including encouraging countries to withdraw from the institution. Rubio has argued that the court could expose US personnel to legal action over immigration operations, military activities and other government policies.
Trump said during a cabinet meeting on July 31 that the campaign was primarily intended to protect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others facing potential ICC action, rather than to shield Trump personally.
The new lawsuit now places the administration’s sanctions strategy under another constitutional challenge, setting up a fresh court battle over how far the White House can go in confronting an international tribunal and organizations that work with it.
