At least three International Criminal Court (ICC) judges under US sanctions have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump and his senior officials, saying the measures imposed on them are illegal, sources confirmed on Thursday.
The judges alleged that the sanctions were aimed at exerting “extra-judicial pressure” on the court. In a New York court filing, judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin stated that the US sanctions were designed to intimidate them.
The US government has also imposed sanctions on as many as 11 ICC officials, including the chief prosecutor, which include travel bans and asset freezes.
It is important to note that these judges had held the Israeli government and its forces responsible for killing civilians in Gaza under the pretext of targeting members of Hamas.
The ICC then issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, and far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Many of the US measures have been direct reprisals for the ICC’s investigations into Israel, a key US ally.
In 2024, the court issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes.
The filing described the sanctions as “tantamount to the financial death penalty", as the judges are unable to use credit cards, access banking services, or use online platforms like Amazon and Google.
"The imposition of such draconian sanctions on international judges is unprecedented,” said the 66-page filing, which demands that the sanctions be lifted.
The lawsuit also names 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.
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