Overview
- U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, ruling Wednesday, issued a preliminary injunction that pauses sanctions on United Nations expert Francesca Albanese.
- He said the penalties likely violate the First Amendment because they target her public call for war-crimes prosecutions and her recommendations carry no binding force.
- Leon found Albanese can press a free-speech claim because of her extensive U.S. connections, including a home in Washington, prior residence, and a U.S.-born daughter.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed the measures in July 2025 under a Trump order, barring U.S. entry and banking, and the judge called the government’s narrow transaction licenses too murky to fix the harms.
- Albanese’s family says the designation cut her off from banking, complicated travel, and even prompted an insurer to refuse payment, and the government can still appeal as the case tests using sanctions to police speech by international rights monitors.