US judge blocks Trump effort to penalize groups aiding ICC Gaza probe

• A federal judge has temporarily barred the Trump administration from enforcing sanctions against two US-based human rights organizations assisting the International Criminal Court’s investigations into alleged war crimes in Gaza.
• The ruling found that the sanctions order likely violates the groups’ First Amendment rights by restricting their speech and advocacy.
• The organizations said the decision would allow them to resume work with the ICC as Washington continues its efforts to penalize the court.

A US federal court has temporarily barred the Trump administration from enforcing sanctions against two human rights organizations that have assisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) in examining war crimes in Gaza.

Judge Jesse M. Furman issued the preliminary injunction on Tuesday in response to a legal challenge brought by Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide (TAAG), both US-based advocacy groups.

The organizations filed their lawsuit in July, contesting an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in Feb. 2025. The order established a framework for penalizing people involved in ICC proceedings that the US administration considers a threat to its national security or that of its allies, including ‘Israel.’

In the ruling, Furman determined that the groups had presented a strong case that the executive order unlawfully restricts their First Amendment protections. He said the policy appeared to target speech and advocacy according to their content and was unlikely to withstand the demanding constitutional review required for such restrictions.

The judge also drew on an earlier legal challenge to the same order, in which the court found that its restrictions violated the free-speech rights of two law professors. He said the claims brought by DAWN and TAAG raised substantially similar constitutional and legal questions.

The sanctions framework was introduced after the ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Both men have denied the accusations, while the US government has rejected the court’s decision to pursue the cases.

Furman’s latest decision offers the two organizations temporary protection as their legal challenge continues. However, he declined to invalidate the executive order in its entirety or issue a broader injunction preventing the administration from applying it to other individuals and organizations.

The ruling was welcomed by the groups’ legal representatives. Joseph Pace, who represents DAWN and TAAG, said the decision defended constitutional freedoms and marked progress toward dismantling the administration’s sanctions against the ICC.

DAWN Executive Director Omar Shakir said the court’s intervention would constrain Washington’s efforts to prevent accountability for ‘Israeli’ officials and their US supporters. The organization announced that it would resume its engagement with the ICC, including advocacy aimed at prosecuting individuals it accuses of responsibility for serious crimes.

The Trump administration has not publicly responded to the ruling. A State Department spokesperson declined to discuss the ongoing litigation but reiterated Washington’s position that the ICC represents an unacceptable challenge to US sovereignty.

The case comes amid an intensifying confrontation between Washington and the international court. Just days before the ruling, the US announced further financial sanctions targeting the ICC, continuing its efforts to pressure the institution over its investigations.

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