A US federal judge has temporarily blocked sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, in a ruling that found the measures likely violated her constitutional right to free speech.
US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, finding that Albanese's residency outside the US did not diminish her protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and that the Trump administration had sought to regulate her speech because of the "idea or message expressed."
"Albanese has done nothing more than speak," Leon wrote in his memorandum opinion. "It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC's actions. They are nothing more than her opinion."
The sanctions were introduced in July 2025 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The measures barred Albanese from entering the United States and restricted her access to banking services connected to the US financial system. At the time, the State Department accused the UN official of promoting "lawfare" through efforts to encourage ICC investigations into alleged war crimes committed in Gaza by US and Israeli nationals. The judge said that Albanese, who is not a US citizen or resident, is still entitled to First Amendment protections due to her "extensive connections" to the country, including an American-born daughter and a home that the family owns in Washington.
Family lawsuit
Albanese's husband and daughter, who is a US citizen, sued the Trump administration in February, alleging that the sanctions were "effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life." The lawsuit argued the measures were designed to punish Albanese for drawing attention to Israel's conduct in Gaza. The judge also concluded that the "parental licence" issued by the US government interferes with Albanese's "constitutionally protected" relationship with her daughter. "It is not clear from the record before me how plaintiffs would distinguish between necessary and unnecessary transactions in the context of their family relationships," he wrote.
Albanese's reaction
Albanese, who had described the sanctions as "calculated to weaken my mission" when they were first imposed, celebrated the ruling on social media. "Protecting the freedom of speech is 'always' in the public interest," Leon wrote in the accompanying opinion. "Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far," she wrote on X. Albanese has also described the sanctions more broadly as part of a US strategy to weaken international accountability mechanisms.
Since assuming her mandate in 2022, Albanese has faced harsh criticism from Israel and some of its allies over highlighting that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Source: Al Jazeera, Reuters, AFP
