A U.S. judge blocks sanctions on two rights groups helping the International Criminal Court

Judge Jesse M. Furman, in New York, granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday to Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and a second U.S. group that gathered information for the court's Gaza inquiry.

The court concludes that the 2025 order likely violates plaintiffs' first amendment rights because it constitutes a content-based regulation of their speech-based activities and cannot survive strict scrutiny.

— Judge Jesse M. Furman

What we know

The order likely breaches the groups' free speech
The two groups are shielded for now

Not yet

Whether the order itself is unconstitutional
What happens to the wider sanctions

The ruling shields only the two groups: the judge did not declare the February 2025 executive order unconstitutional on its face or bar its use against others.

Background

The ruling comes days after the United States imposed financial sanctions on the ICC itself; the State Department calls the court an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty.

World · 19 d ago

A U.S. judge blocks sanctions on two rights groups helping the International Criminal Court

The court concludes that the 2025 order likely violates plaintiffs' first amendment rights because it constitutes a content-based regulation of their speech-based activities and cannot survive strict scrutiny.

The ruling shields only the two groups: the judge did not declare the February 2025 executive order unconstitutional on its face or bar its use against others.

The ruling comes days after the United States imposed financial sanctions on the ICC itself; the State Department calls the court an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty.

A U.S. judge blocks sanctions on two rights groups helping the International Criminal Court

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