Rubio warns ICC against enforcing rulings on Americans

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the International Criminal Court not to enforce rulings against Americans, arguing that the United States did not consent to the court’s authority and that international law is being used to constrain U.S. policy. Speaking at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, he cited administration actions including strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and invoked the phrase “stop quoting laws to men with swords.” His remarks came amid the Trump administration’s campaign to isolate the ICC through sanctions, which followed the court’s arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged crimes in Gaza. The United States signed but never ratified the Rome Statute that established the court; supporters of the ICC say it serves as a last-resort venue for accountability when national systems fail.