The family of Francesca Albanese, a special U.N. rapporteur whom the federal government sanctioned for her anti-Israel remarks, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in a U.S. federal court on Wednesday, seeking relief from the effects of the designation.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told JNS the lawsuit was “baseless” and Albanese is a “disgrace.”
Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinians, was sanctioned last year by the Trump administration after reaching out to American companies and organizations, informing them that they were to be included in her report on human rights violators and hanging over them the threat of prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity for their links to Israel.
The Trump administration said Albanese’s U.N. diplomatic immunity did not apply.
Critics have accused Albanese of using her U.N. mandate to advance an anti-Israel agenda and of having a long history of antisemitic rhetoric. Most recently, she drew condemnation for suggesting that Israel is a “common enemy” of humanity, prompting several European countries to call for her resignation or for restraint in her public statements.
The U.N. secretariat has claimed it has no oversight of Albanese, and the U.N. Human Rights Council, which appointed her and extended her mandate, has refused to take action.
The lawsuit, filed by Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Cali, a World Bank official and former Palestinian Authority employee, details the impact of the sanctions on him and the couple’s daughter, whom Albanese says is an American citizen. The suit names U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as defendants.
Albanese has complained that the sanctions severed her from the U.S. financial system, with significant personal and professional consequences. The court filing frames the case as a First Amendment issue.
“Francesca’s expression of her views about the facts as she has found them in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about the work of the ICC is core First Amendment activity,” the lawsuit states, referring to the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes.
The State Department emphasized that the sanctions were tied to Albanese’s engagement with the ICC in efforts to prosecute Americans and Israelis, despite neither country recognizing the court’s jurisdiction. Officials cited her “campaigns of political and economic warfare” that they said threatened U.S. national interests, including recommending ICC investigations of American companies and executives.
“Francesca Albanese has openly supported antisemitism, terrorism, and has engaged in lawfare against our nation and our interests, including against major American companies vital to the world economy,” the State Department spokesperson told JNS.
“Our sanctions are legal and appropriate,” the spokesperson added. “The United States will continue to condemn and oppose her biased and malicious activities, which have long made her unfit for her role.”
Albanese’s lawsuit contends the case centers on free speech.
“At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person—ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter—because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness,” the filing states.
