ICC Judges Kimberly Prost, Solomy Balungi Bossa, and Reine Alapini-Gansou Sue Trump Administration

Three sitting International Criminal Court judges filed a lawsuit in the U.S. against the Trump administration, seeking the lifting of sanctions they say are “draconian” and meant to pressure the Court.

“ICC judges sue Trump over ‘draconian’ sanctions NEW YORK – Three International Criminal Court judges sanctioned by the United States filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Donald Trump and other senior US officials, arguing the measures against them are unlawful”

Inquirer.net

The plaintiffs are Judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, and the case was filed in federal court in Manhattan, New York.

Inquirer.net

The sanctions the judges challenge were imposed after the ICC opened investigations into war crimes by American soldiers in Afghanistan and by Israelis in the Palestinian territories, including an international arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The lawsuit also names U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Bradley Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, alongside President Donald Trump.

The judges argue the measures are unlawful and that the Trump administration justified them by labeling the investigations a “threat to national security” and a “state of emergency.”

In a New York court filing, the judges alleged the sanctions were aimed to “exert extra-judicial pressure” and to punish them for prior judicial decisions.

The Inquirer.net account says the sanctions imposed on at least 11 ICC officials include travel bans and asset freezes, and it describes them as direct reprisals for investigations into key U.S. ally Israel by the ICC.

NL Times

The Open Society Justice Initiative said the Executive Order declares a “national emergency” in relation to ICC investigations involving U.S. nationals and nationals of certain U.S. allies that have not consented to ICC jurisdiction, including Israel.

James A. Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, said, “Targeting international judges for carrying out their judicial duties is an unprecedented attack on judicial independence and the rule of law,” and he added that the lawsuit seeks to reaffirm constitutional protections and the limits of executive power.

The Open Society Justice Initiative also states the sanctions are “tantamount to a financial death penalty,” and says the judges have had assets frozen in U.S. bank accounts and been denied access to credit cards, online platforms, banking services and health insurance.

The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief against sanctions imposed under Executive Order 14203, which the Open Society Justice Initiative says authorizes asset freezes and travel restrictions for foreign individuals who participated in or supported ICC investigations.

“NEW YORK—Three sitting judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have filed a lawsuit in the U”

Open Society Justice Initiative

The Open Society Justice Initiative says the plaintiffs are among eight ICC judges designated under the order, and it lists additional designations including the ICC Prosecutor, both Deputy Prosecutors, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Palestine, and three Palestinian human rights organizations.

The Inquirer.net report says the judges’ 66-page filing demands the sanctions be lifted and argues the measures are “tantamount to the financial death penalty,” because they are unable to use credit cards, access banking services and use online platforms like Amazon and Google.

The Open Society Justice Initiative adds that Judges Prost and Bossa contend that freezing their assets violates due process under the Fifth Amendment, and it says all three judges assert their designations are arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law under the Administrative Procedure Act.

The Open Society Justice Initiative also states this is the fifth lawsuit brought to challenge Executive Order 14203, and it says courts have previously found the order unconstitutional in prior cases involving impermissible free speech limitations on those assisting the ICC.