US Rejects ICC Authority Over Americans in Letter to Court
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- Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a letter dated June 29 to ICC president Tomoko Akane, calling the court "increasingly lawless and illegitimate" and declaring any effort to assert authority over US persons "a direct affront" to US sovereignty.
- The letter contained no new policy positions, serving as the latest rhetorical salvo in the Trump administration's ongoing pressure campaign against the court.
- Three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against the Trump administration's sanctions, arguing the measures sought to "punish and coerce" the judiciary through extrajudicial pressure.
- The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the ICC, its top prosecutors, and any organization aiding investigations of US citizens and allies — including three Palestinian rights groups sanctioned in October.
- Trump's February 2025 executive order linked ICC sanctions to court actions targeting "America and our close ally Israel," framing the measures within the US-Israel alliance.
- The letter follows November 2024 ICC arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza, plus warrants for Hamas officials since killed.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is escalating pressure on the ICC through sanctions, executive orders, and now a direct diplomatic letter to block investigations into US citizens and Israeli officials. With three ICC judges already suing in Manhattan federal court to overturn those sanctions, the sovereignty-versus-international-jurisdiction clash is shifting from rhetoric into active litigation.
