A U.S. judge has stepped in to stop the government from punishing groups that work with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC is the court that investigates the world’s most serious crimes, like war crimes. Recently, the U.S. government had placed sanctions on two groups that were helping the ICC look into issues related to the war in Gaza. Sanctions are essentially official penalties, like blocking access to money or trade, meant to pressure people or groups.

Now, a judge has decided that these sanctions cannot move forward for the time being. This move comes as the ICC is under a lot of pressure regarding its investigations.

Just hours after a former judge connected to the court won the Nobel Peace Prize, more sanctions had been announced by the U.S. government. The Nobel winner, Navi Pillay, has spoken out against these actions. She has also predicted that the court may eventually seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This legal fight is part of a much bigger struggle over how the world investigates war crimes and how much power the United States should have in stopping those investigations. For now, the organizations helping the court have a legal shield against these U.S. penalties.

Source: The New York Times