Kimberly Prost, a judge from Canada at the International Criminal Court (ICC), along with two colleagues, is suing former President Donald Trump and his administration. Their suit argues that the sanctions imposed on them by the administration were unauthorized and retaliatory.
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York, aiming to curb the U.S. government’s ability to sanction judges for decisions that challenge its stance on international law. Alongside Prost, the claimants include Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou from Benin and Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa from Uganda. This information was confirmed by lawyers representing one of the judges who shared the complaint with The New York Times.
The sanctions began in February 2025, targeting ICC judges involved in investigations into alleged crimes committed by individuals from non-member nations, including Israel and the United States. The ICC was formed in The Hague in 2002 to prosecute severe international offenses such as genocide.
In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio added four more judges, including Alapini-Gansou and Bossa, to the list. These latter sanctions followed their issuance of arrest warrants against several Israeli leaders.
Experts in international law have criticized the Trump administration for attempting to weaken the ICC’s authority through such measures. The progress of this lawsuit will determine whether such executive actions, like imposing sanctions on judicial figures, can be legally challenged and potentially overturned.
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