MANHATTAN — Three judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, filed a federal lawsuit against United States President Donald Trump and his administration on June 24, 2026. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan, challenging sanctions imposed on multiple ICC judges in 2025.

These sanctions, enacted by the Trump administration, resulted in the blocking of the judges' U.S.-based property and assets. U.S.-based entities were also forbidden from engaging in transactions with the sanctioned judges, which included the provision of funds, goods, or services.

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

The lawsuit further claims that the sanctions were intended to pressure the judges. "The Sanctions Regime is designed to exert extra-judicial pressure on these judges and their colleagues on the ICC bench by targeting their financial and other personal interests, with the objective of punishing them for prior judicial decisions and coercing them into prioritizing their private interests over deciding cases on the basis of the law and facts," the lawsuit said. It also stated, "Being subjected to such sanctions under IEEPA is tantamount to the financial death penalty."

The sanctions have impacted the judges' daily lives, according to the lawsuit. "Due to the sanctions, Judges Prost, Bossa, and Alapini-Gansou are no longer able, among other things, to use credit cards; access banking services; use common online platforms, such as Amazon and Google; book travel; and in some cases, obtain health insurance," the lawsuit said.

Why It Matters

The International Criminal Court, established in 2002, holds international jurisdiction for prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or when a situation is referred by the UN Security Council. It currently has 125 member countries.

The United States, along with China, Russia, and Israel, does not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court. During Donald Trump's first term, his administration imposed sanctions on the ICC's top prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her aides. The ICC has opened a case into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.