The US Supreme Court has over-ruled the Bush administration in a Texas murder case. An illegal alien raped and murdered a TX girl and was rightfully sentenced to death. Mexico whined to the World Court. The World Court came down on the side of the murderer. Bush ordered the state of TX to review the case. TX refused and went to the SCOTUS. Guess that Bush never heard of that thing called states rights. It makes me puke that Bush came down on the side of the Mexican government and a murdering scumbag.
"WASHINGTON (AFP) - US state courts need not comply with International Court of Justice (ICJ) decisions, even if the US president orders them to, the US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in the case of a Mexican sentenced to death.
The Hague-based ICJ on March 2004 ordered trial revisions in the United States of 51 Mexicans sentenced to death, because they had not been timely informed of their right to consular assistance.
One of them, 33-year-old Jose Medellin -- convicted of raping and murdering two teenagers in Texas in 1993 -- demanded Texas courts acknowledge that the omission pointed out by the ICJ warranted a retrial.
President George W. Bush, exercising his prerrogative in applying international treaties, ordered state judges to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether any of the 51 Mexicans merited a retrial.
While some states complied with his order, Texas judges refused to examine Medellin's appeal on grounds they were not bound by ICJ decisions nor by presidential orders on the principle of separation of powers.
The Supreme Court ruled six to three in favor of Texas' magistrates.
"We conclude that neither (the ICJ) nor the president's memorandum constitutes directly enforceable federal law that pre-empts state limitations," Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in the court's opinion.
Bush "has an array of political and diplomatic means available to enforce international obligations, but unilaterally converting a non-self-executing treaty into a self-executing one is not among them," he added.
"We're disappointed with the decision," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino."