On Friday, the Trump administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court as an institution. CBS News reported that the US had previously punished more than a dozen of the court’s judges and prosecutors. Sanctioning the court itself is a different kind of action from sanctioning people, because it reaches every American company and individual that does business with the court.
CBS News reported that the move came just hours after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay. She is a South African jurist who, according to CBS News, served as an ICC judge from 2003 to 2008. Reuters reported the award on October 9, 2026. The sources reviewed for this article did not show that the award caused the sanctions.
What Changes for American Companies Working With the Court
According to CBS News, the court’s assets under US jurisdiction are blocked, and US companies and individuals are generally barred from doing business with it. CBS News also reported that Treasury is allowing some services to continue and has given the court 180 days to keep certain operations running. Al Jazeera described a six-month grace period for US companies to wrap up existing business, along with other exceptions.
William Schabas, a professor of international law at Middlesex University in London, told Al Jazeera that the court has been building a plan B for more than a year. That plan includes moving to European alternatives to US software and ending its relationship with an insurance company that does business with the US. Schabas said the practical impact “remains to be seen” but would “complicate things considerably” for the institution.
Washington Frames It as a Planned Escalation
Shannon Kingston is a State Department reporter for ABC News. She said the campaign has run for “several months, and they’ve been threatening to roll out these sanctions for really weeks now.” Kingston added that Marco Rubio has been clear about trying to get US allies to “turn against the court.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the matter. He said “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.” Rubio said the action was structured to give States Parties “an opportunity” to negotiate a solution. In a video, Rubio said the US will “ban transactions with this rogue court” because Americans “are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC.” Rubio has previously called the ICC a “fatally politicized supranational court” and promised to dismantle it “brick by brick” if necessary. In a speech in Athens, Rubio said Western governments seemed to “outsource more of our sovereignty” to global bureaucracies.
Allies, the UN and the Court Push Back
CBS News noted that neither the US nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the court, and that Washington objects to the court’s Afghanistan investigation and to its warrants for Israeli leaders. Al Jazeera reported that the court issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant in 2024. Per CBS News, the court holds that it can prosecute crimes committed on territory under its jurisdiction, even when the accused comes from a country that has not joined.
The International Criminal Court has responded. It called the designation “an assault on the rule of law.” Its president, Tomoko Akane, said the court will continue its work with “independence and impartiality.” Al Jazeera reported that the court called on to its 125 states parties for help. CBS News reported that those members include every NATO member besides Turkey, plus Canada, Japan and Australia. The foreign ministries of Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom said they “regret and strongly disagree” with the sanctions. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the decision “a serious blow” to international criminal justice. Kenneth Roth, a senior fellow at Yale University, said “What Trump is doing is obstructing justice.” Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump and called the ICC “a mortal threat” to democracies. Separately, the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said the Nobel Committee “has lost its moral compass.”
Pillay Now Serves on a Different Court
According to CBS News, Pillay currently serves on the International Court of Justice, which is a separate body from the ICC. The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which she led, found “reasonable grounds” in September 2025 to conclude that genocide had occurred in Gaza. Israel’s foreign minister called the report “fake.” After the award, Pillay said international law is “under significant political attack,” particularly visible in the attacks on the ICC. Nobel Committee Chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes said the system of international law is “under tremendous pressure.”
Does the Wind-Down Clock Change Anything for US Vendors?
Yes. The designation bars new US business with the court, and according to Schabas the court was already preparing to replace US software and a US-linked insurance company. Watch what Treasury does when the 180 days reported by CBS News run out, and whether States Parties present Rubio’s requested solution before then.