Overview
- The lawsuit was filed Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026 in the Southern District of New York by Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute, the American Friends Service Committee and the Center for Constitutional Rights.
- The complaint challenges a February 2025 executive order that authorizes U.S. travel bans, asset freezes and other penalties on ICC judges, prosecutors, a U.N. expert and organizations that assist the court.
- Plaintiffs say the sanctions have forced them to limit victim representation, stop submitting legal and policy filings to the court, and curtail cooperation with sanctioned partners, causing what the suit calls grave and irreparable harm.
- The new filing joins earlier challenges brought by Palestinian advocacy groups and three sanctioned ICC judges and follows the recent removal of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan after misconduct allegations.
- The case tests how far U.S. sanctions can reach into constitutionally protected speech and association while the State Department presses other countries to withdraw from the ICC, a move that could erode the court’s ability to investigate crimes without member‑state cooperation.