Three ICC judges sue Trump administration over sanctions imposed for judicial actions

Three International Criminal Court judges—Kimberly Prost, Solomy Balungi Bossa, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou—sued U.S. President Donald Trump on June 24, 2026, over sanctions imposed under Executive Order 14203. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, argues the sanctions exceed the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The judges claim the measures act as a 'financial death penalty,' blocking access to banking, credit cards, and online platforms.

ICC judges sue Trump

• ▪The lawsuit by the three International Criminal Court judges was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.
• ▪Three International Criminal Court judges, Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration on June 24, 2026.

U.S. sanctions on ICC

• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14203 in February 2025 to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court judges.
• ▪The Trump administration imposed sanctions on several International Criminal Court judges in 2025 in retaliation for the court's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Financial impact on judges

• ▪The sanctions hamper the judges' ability to conduct routine financial transactions because banks with U.S. ties or those operating in dollars must comply with the restrictions.
• ▪The sanctions prevent International Criminal Court judges Kimberly Prost, Solomy Balungi Bossa, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou from using credit cards, accessing banking services, using online platforms like Amazon and Google, booking travel, and obtaining health insurance.

Trump opposition to ICC

• ▪The Trump administration's opposition to the International Criminal Court includes 2020 sanctions imposed on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and an aide over investigations into U.S. actions in Afghanistan.
• ▪The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are among the nations that do not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court.

IEEPA legal challenge

• ▪The lawsuit asserts that the sanctions unlawfully bar the submission of evidence and argument in any pending or future proceeding before the judges.
• ▪The lawsuit argues the sanctions exceeded the scope of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and were not based on a genuine national emergency or extraordinary threat.

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