US court halts sanctions against two rights groups — Jerusalem Post
US federal judge Jesse M. Furman has temporarily blocked the administration of President Donald Trump from imposing sanctions on two American human rights organizations that cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The Jerusalem Post reports.
Human rights organizations’ lawsuit
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide (TAAG) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in July. They challenged sanctions provided for by the presidential executive order on the ICC, saying the document unconstitutionally restricts Americans’ ability to seek justice in Palestine-related cases at the ICC and to cooperate with human rights advocates who, according to the plaintiffs, were placed on the sanctions list for calling for investigations into the actions of US and Israeli citizens.
Judge Furman referred to a 2025 case in which two law professors also challenged Trump’s executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. In that case, the court concluded that the order violated the plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights because it regulated their speech-related activity based on its content.
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Limits of the court ruling
At the same time, Furman rejected DAWN and TAAG’s request to declare the 2025 order unconstitutional in its entirety. The court’s ruling temporarily protects the two organizations from sanctions within the scope of their lawsuit.
DAWN Executive Director Omar Shakir called the court’s ruling a step that halted the Trump administration’s attempts to shield Israeli officials and their American supporters from accountability. He also said the court had affirmed Americans’ right to advocate for justice at the ICC and cooperate with human rights advocates sanctioned for such calls.
TAAG representative Anna Marie Stenberg said the judge had affirmed important First Amendment protections. Commenting on the case to The Guardian, a US State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration considers the ICC an unacceptable threat to the sovereignty of the United States.
