Overview
- U.S. District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking Trump administration sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a U.N. independent human rights expert for the occupied Palestinian territories.
- Leon wrote that Albanese “has done nothing more than speak” in urging International Criminal Court investigations and said her ties to the U.S. make a First Amendment claim likely.
- Her husband and U.S.-citizen daughter sued in February, saying the measures barred U.S. travel and banking, froze accounts, disrupted insurance, and strained their family life.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed the sanctions in July 2025 under a Trump order targeting people “directly engaged” with ICC inquiries, citing alleged antisemitism and bias that Albanese denies.
- The injunction pauses travel and banking limits while the case proceeds, and the administration could defend, narrow, or appeal the designation in a dispute with legal and diplomatic stakes.