Federal judge blocks US sanctions against UN expert on occupied Palestinian territories

Albanese’s husband and daughter, who is a US citizen, sued the Trump administration in February, alleging that the US sanctions are “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life”.

US district judge Richard Leon in Washington DC found that Albanese’s residency outside the US does not undercut her protections under the first amendment of the US constitution and that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the “idea or message expressed”.

“Albanese has done nothing more than speak!” Leon wrote in his opinion. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions-they are nothing more than her opinion.”