Amicus brief in Massimiliano Cali v. Donald Trump regarding the Trump administration’s sanctions on Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
March 13, 2026
Executive Director Jim Cavallaro, Legal & Policy Director Thomas Becker, and scholars from Boston University, Cornell, and Law Schools, presented an amicus brief in Massimiliano Cali v. Donald Trump, condemning the Trump administration’s sanctions on Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories.
In July 2025, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Albanese for suggesting that Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, be investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In February 2026, Albanese's family filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to remove the sanctions.
Amici argue that Trump’s actions hinder the work of human rights academics and practitioners and create a severe unconstitutional chilling effect on protected speech.
