Attorney General Griffin Leads 20-State Coalition Supporting Legislation to Protect Americans from Unlawful International Criminal Court Prosecutions
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued a statement announcing he has sent a letter on behalf of 20 state attorneys general supporting the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (ICC Act). The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), aims to protect American civil and military officials from unlawful prosecutions by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“An ICC prosecutor has recently claimed the authority to prosecute the civilian and military leaders of Israel under the treaty creating the ICC despite Israel, like the United States, neither being a party to the treaty nor agreeing to be bound by the court. If the ICC can unlawfully prosecute Israelis, it can also unlawfully prosecute Americans,” Griffin stated.
“I applaud Sen. Cotton and his Senate co-sponsors—as well as those sponsoring the companion bill in the House—for this much-needed legislation. Our nation does not recognize the authority of the ICC over American citizens as the ICC does not recognize the protections of the Bill of Rights to which all Americans are entitled. It is imperative that the Senate immediately take up and pass Sen. Cotton’s bill.”
Cotton’s legislation (S. 4484) is co-sponsored by Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), James Risch (R-ID), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Susan Collins (R-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Ted Budd (R-NC). Its House companion bill (H.R. 8282), sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and 76 co-sponsors, passed with broad bipartisan support.
The legislation seeks to deter persons involved with the ICC from furthering efforts to assert unlawful authority. Specifically, as already passed by the House, it would impose sanctions on any foreign person who engages in or assists with illegitimate prosecutorial actions by the ICC against American citizens or individuals associated with U.S. government activities.
Sanctions include blocking property transactions and revoking U.S. visas for those involved in such actions against any citizen of a NATO ally or major non-NATO ally that has not consented to ICC jurisdiction or is not a party to the Rome Statute.
Griffin's letter was joined by attorneys general from Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
For more information about Attorney General Tim Griffin:
Tim Griffin was sworn in as Arkansas's 57th Attorney General on January 10, 2023. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023 and represented Arkansas’s Second Congressional District from 2011-2015.
Griffin has been an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps for over 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. His assignments have included serving at Fort Campbell and with units such as Fort Liberty's Legal Operations Detachment.
Griffin also held positions including U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas; Special Assistant roles under President George W. Bush; Senior Investigative Counsel for Government Reform; among others.
He graduated from Magnolia High School; Hendrix College; Tulane Law School; attended Oxford University; earned a master’s degree from U.S Army War College.
Griffin resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.