The U.S. Department of the Treasury lifted sanctions on Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinians, who has a long history of spreading Jew-hatred, following a federal court order temporarily blocking the measures.
Treasury stated on Wednesday that it had removed Albanese from its sanctions list, a week after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction against the sanctions.
Leon, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that the sanctions likely violated Albanese’s First Amendment rights, despite the fact that she is neither a U.S. citizen nor resident. The judge cited her “extensive connections” to the United States, including an American-born daughter and a family home in Washington.
The lawsuit was filed by Albanese’s husband and daughter, who argued that the Trump administration sanctioned her over protected speech. The United Nations reportedly declined to allow Albanese herself to join the suit because of concerns about diplomatic immunity.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed the sanctions in July 2025, accusing Albanese of engaging in a “campaign of political and economic warfare” after she sent harassing and threatening letters to American companies and organizations with ties to Israel. She claimed that they were subject to charges of war crimes and other crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court, an independent court in The Hague to which the United States is not a signatory.
Rubio also accused Albanese of “unabashed antisemitism” and support for terrorism.
Multiple governments and Jewish organizations have criticized Albanese over statements about Israel and the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7. The United Nations has repeatedly described her as an “independent expert” and that the global body does not dictate to special rapporteurs what they can and cannot say.
In his 26-page ruling, Leon wrote that Albanese “has done nothing more than speak.”
“It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions. They are nothing more than her opinion,” he wrote. (JNS sought comment from the U.S. State Department.)
The Trump administration argued that although the sanctions cut Albanese off from much of the international banking system, it had issued licenses permitting transactions to support her daughter and to sell the Washington property she co-owns with her husband, Massimiliano Calì, a World Bank economist who also has a documented history of anti-Israel rhetoric and actions.
Leon stated that the scope of the licenses was too murky, and the parental license 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.
Separately, Albanese faces a defamation lawsuit in federal court in Colorado from two Christian charities that allege she falsely accused them of complicity in war crimes and genocide in letters warning they could face international prosecution. The letters were part of Albanese’s campaign that led to the initial sanctions.
Albanese had previously avoided service in the case after South Africa withdrew authorization to serve her while she was visiting the country. However, Leon’s ruling acknowledged that she had since been properly served through email and social media while she is believed to be in Tunisia.
The ruling gave Albanese 21 days to respond to the complaint or face a possible default judgment.
