Federal Court Blocks Trump Administration Sanctions Against U.N. Rapporteur Francesca Albanese

A U.S. federal court has blocked the Department of the Treasury from enforcing sanctions against U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, ruling that her family is ‘likely to succeed’ in their First Amendment lawsuit against the government.

Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the ruling on Wednesday, stating that Albanese’s speech was protected under the First Amendment.

‘Albanese has done nothing more than speak! It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the [International Criminal Court's] actions—they are nothing more than her opinion,’

The sanctions were imposed by the Trump administration in 2025 under Executive Order 14203, which bans cooperation with the International Criminal Court over its investigations into the Israeli and U.S. militaries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Albanese of waging ‘lawfare that targets U.S. and Israeli persons.’

The ruling did not address other constitutional claims raised in the lawsuit, including violations of the Fourth Amendment (seizure of property without due process) and the Fifth Amendment (treating family ties as criminal).

Impact of the Sanctions on Albanese and Her Family

Albanese described the sanctions as turning her life into a ‘rollercoaster.’ Her Washington apartment was seized, and she was barred from accessing shared bank accounts and insurance plans with her husband, World Bank economist Massimiliano Cali. Georgetown University even closed her faculty email account, citing federal law restrictions on affiliating with sanctioned individuals.

The sanctions extended globally, including to her home country of Italy, where hotels refused her bookings and foreign banks declined to process her payments. Cali was also sanctioned, banning him from visiting the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington.

Albanese’s Role and the Controversial Report

Albanese, an unpaid U.N. special rapporteur, issued a report urging the International Criminal Court and national judiciaries to investigate and prosecute corporate executives for their involvement in Israel. However, her role carries no binding authority—she is an outside researcher advising the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Despite the Trump administration’s argument that Executive Order 14203 regulates ‘conduct, not speech,’ Judge Leon ruled that Albanese was penalized for ‘communicating a message’ with which the government disagreed.