Congress: 111 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: neutral
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for SCONRES 59.
Sponsor: Vitter, David (R-LA)
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) U.S. national interests are not advanced by becoming a State Party to the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court; (2) the Statute undermines U.S. sovereignty, hinders its ability to defend itself, and conflicts with U.S. constitutional principles; and (3) President Obama should declare that the United States does not intend to ratify the Statute and does not consider itself to be a treaty signatory, and will not attend the May 2010 Review Conference of the Rome Statute in Kampala, Uganda.
Congress expresses its opposition to the United States signing or ratifying the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court. The resolution calls on the President to declare that the U.S. will not become a member of the ICC and will not attend the treaty's review conference in Uganda in May 2010, citing concerns that ICC membership could undermine U.S. sovereignty and military operations.
The ICC has jurisdiction to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity. This resolution would prevent the U.S. from joining the court, shielding American military and political leaders from potential ICC prosecution for actions in conflict zones, including operations in the Middle East.