UNITED States has imposed sanctions on two judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), claiming they are targeting Israel in an "illegitimate" manner.
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On Thursday, December 18, the State Department announced sanctions against Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze from Georgia and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin from Mongolia.
This action followed a recent ICC ruling that prevented Israel from halting an investigation into possible war crimes in Gaza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the judges "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals without Israel’s consent."
He also criticized them for voting with the majority on December 15, 2025, when the ICC rejected Israel’s appeal to stop the war crimes probe.
Rubio said, "The ICC has continued to engage in politicized actions targeting Israel, which set a dangerous precedent for all nations.
We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject U.S. and Israeli persons to the ICC’s jurisdiction."
The U.S. emphasized that, along with Israel, it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute—the treaty that established the ICC—and therefore rejects the court’s authority.
"Our message to the Court has been clear: the United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and therefore reject the ICC’s jurisdiction.
We will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to the ICC’s lawfare and overreach," the statement added.
This latest action is part of a series of economic sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on ICC members and their associates.
In February 2025, the Trump administration sanctioned ICC staff, warning that similar measures would be taken against anyone assisting the court's investigations against the U.S. and its allies.
In June 2025, four judges—two of whom were involved in the decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant—were also sanctioned by the U.S.