ICC judges sue Trump over sanctions, call them illegal financial death penalty

Three International Criminal Court judges — Canadian judge Kimberly Prost, Ugandan judge Solomy Balungi Bossa and Beninese judge Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini‑Gansou — filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials. The complaint challenges sanctions imposed in 2020 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, arguing the measures exceed legal authority and were intended to exert “extrajudicial pressure.” The judges describe the sanctions as a “financial death penalty,” noting that they have blocked credit‑card use, banking services, travel, access to online platforms such as Amazon and Google, and even health‑insurance coverage, while also hindering the ICC’s ability to present evidence in cases. The sanctions were retaliatory, linked to the ICC’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its investigation of alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The lawsuit seeks to have the judges removed from the sanctions list, unfreeze assets and prevent future enforcement. U.S. State, Treasury and the White House have not commented.