Two US-based interest groups sued President Donald Trump’s administration claimed on Wednesday that sanctions imposed by Trump on members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations hinder the organizations’ ability to engage in Palestinian human rights work and therefore violate their rights First Amendment Right.
The sanctions in question date from 2025 Executive Order (EO), which requires ICC prosecutors and judges to face economic penalties for their involvement in investigating war crimes by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and issuing a sentence Arrest warrant for US-allied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last year, the United States, a country that does not recognize authority The ICC has expanded sanctions to include some human rights organizations and the United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her assistance in the investigation.
A nonprofit advocacy group’s lawsuit against senior administration officials was filed in federal court in Manhattan Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the Taxpayers’ Alliance Against Genocide (TAAG) seeks a court order prohibiting the government from enforcing provisions of the EO that would prohibit U.S. citizens from cooperating with sanctioned individuals or assisting in investigations of possible U.S. human rights violations.
As part of their advocacy work, both organizations have worked closely with the International Criminal Court, the United Nations and Albanese, relying on joint research and the preparation of communications for the court and the public to document the role of US officials in the commission of war crimes.
DAWN and TAAG allege in their complaint that the EO indicates that individuals may be subject to criminal prosecution and civil penalties if they cooperate with sanctioned parties and receive or provide “any service.” Because the word “service” is ambiguous and can be interpreted broadly, the organizations claim they had to censor themselves to avoid administrative scrutiny.
In addition to violating the First Amendment, DAWN and TAAG allege that Trump overstepped the bounds of his presidential authority when he invoked it International Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), which prohibits the president from using economic sanctions to restrict communications and the transfer of information.
In one Press releaseOmar Shakir, executive director of DAWN, pointed out that the sanctions unconstitutionally prevent US citizens from demanding justice and accountability. He explained:
The Trump administration is using the blunt instrument of economic sanctions not only to punish human rights defenders but also to control the political expression of millions of Americans. The government is violating the constitutional rights of American citizens to protect foreign government officials who have committed genocide.
The lawsuit comes just days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would launch a diplomatic campaign to dismantle the ICC. Rubio indicated that the US would work with allied governments and use all the tools at the government’s disposal to tear the court apart “brick by brick.”
In response, DAWN Advocacy Director Raed Jarrar responded stated: “If the most powerful country in the world wants to abolish the world’s only permanent international court, it sends a message that the powerful are above the law. It is not the International Criminal Court that Rubio is dismantling brick by brick – but the rules-based international order that rose from the ashes of World War II.”
This is not the first lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over sanctions. In June, the sanctioned ICC judges themselves sued the president, arguing that Trump had exceeded the limits of his legal authority. In February, the Albanese family sued It also claimed the sanctions had had a “severe impact” on their livelihoods. In May, a US federal judge temporarily blocked sanctions against Albanese for likely violations of her right to free speech. However, in response, the US later placed them back on the list of sanctioned individuals.
