'Antithesis of the Rule of Law': ICC Judges Sue Trump Over Sanctions

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https://www.commondreams.org/news/icc-judges-sue-trump

‘Antithesis of the Rule of Law’: ICC Judges Sue Trump Over Sanctions

“These judges are being punished for discharging their judicial duties independently by rendering decisions with which the Trump administration disagrees.”

BRAD REED
Jun 25, 2026

Three judges at the International Criminal Court on Thursday sued the Trump administration over sanctions placed on them by a 2025 executive order. The three plaintiffs—Judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin—have served on ICC panels related to alleged crimes committed by either the American or Israeli militaries, and are among the eight ICC judges who have so far been hit with sanctions by the US State Department.

The ICC drew ire of US President Donald Trump for issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opening a case into alleged war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan.

The judges’ lawsuit contends that Trump’s executive order establishing the sanctions was manifestly unlawful and in direct violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, which prohibits the government from making arbitrary and capricious policy changes.

The suit also claims that the US sanctions, which were invoked under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, are illegal because their work at the ICC does not pose an “emergency” to the country’s national security.

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