ICC judges sue convicted criminal Donald Trump after US attempt to intimidate the court

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ICC judges sue convicted criminal Donald Trump after US attempt to intimidate the court<br>//<br>Russia rations fuel from occupied Crimea to Siberia as Ukrainian drones decimate refineries nationwide<br>//<br>UN inquiry finds Israel deliberately targeted Gaza children, amounting to genocide<br>//<br>Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, former DUP leader, found guilty on all 18 counts of child sexual assault, including rape<br>//<br>Hungary's Magyar moves to end President Sulyok's mandate by constitutional amendment<br>//<br>Starmer resigns, wants orderly transfer of power, Burnham overwhelming favourite<br>//<br>ICC judges sue convicted criminal Donald Trump after US attempt to intimidate the court<br>//<br>Russia rations fuel from occupied Crimea to Siberia as Ukrainian drones decimate refineries nationwide<br>//<br>UN inquiry finds Israel deliberately targeted Gaza children, amounting to genocide<br>//<br>Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, former DUP leader, found guilty on all 18 counts of child sexual assault, including rape<br>//<br>Hungary's Magyar moves to end President Sulyok's mandate by constitutional amendment<br>//<br>Starmer resigns, wants orderly transfer of power, Burnham overwhelming favourite<br>//

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Three judges of the International Criminal Court, Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and his administration on 24 June in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, arguing that U.S. sanctions imposed on them over their judicial rulings are unlawful, unconstitutional, and intended to coerce and intimidate independent judges in the exercise of their official duties.<br>The three judges<br>The three ICC judges were placed on the same U.S. Treasury sanctions list used for individuals designated in connection with terrorism and transnational organised crime. The sanctions were imposed in response to the judges' participation in ICC decisions opposed by the Trump administration, including authorising an investigation into alleged war crimes involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials over the war in Gaza. According to the lawsuit, the measures were intended to punish those judicial decisions, deter future rulings, and undermine the independence of the Court through financial coercion and intimidation.<br>“tantamount to the financial death penalty.”<br>The lawsuit names Donald Trump and the federal agencies responsible for imposing and enforcing the sanctions. It argues that the measures were intended to punish the judges for prior rulings, intimidate them, and pressure them to consider the threat of financial ruin when carrying out their judicial duties. The complaint characterizes the sanctions as “tantamount to the financial death penalty.”<br>The judges argue that the sanctions exceed the authority granted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, because no legitimate national emergency or extraordinary foreign threat justifies targeting sitting international judges. The complaint also alleges that the designations violate the Administrative Procedure Act because they were arbitrary and capricious. In addition, it claims that freezing the judges’ assets without prior notice or an opportunity to contest the action violated their constitutional right to due process.<br>What the sanctions do<br>A sanctions designation freezes any property or assets a listed person holds in the United States and prohibits U.S. individuals and companies from conducting business with them. The executive order also lets the government list people with no prior notice, on the theory that warning them would let them move money first. Because much of the global financial system relies on U.S. dollar clearing, the practical impact extends well beyond U.S. borders.<br>Judge Kimberly Prost said the sanctions caused her credit cards to stop working overnight, locked her out of accounts with Amazon, Google, and Apple, and prevented her from exchanging currencies because the transactions passed through the U.S. financial system.<br>Judge Kimberly Prost described the measures as "an attack on the independence of the judiciary."<br>The lawsuit argues the sanctions have also produced a wider chilling effect, with companies outside the United States complying to avoid the risk of violating U.S. restrictions. It cites an incident in which a New Zealand company attempting to book a hotel for Judge Prost triggered a compliance alert based solely on her name. It also states that the daughter of another sanctioned ICC judge, who was living in the United States, had her visa revoked. The lawsuit further challenges the executive order's provision allowing individuals to be sanctioned without prior notice, arguing that the government justifies the practice on the grounds that advance warning...