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Will Texas defy World Court?

August 5th, 2008
By JOE WINDISH, Technology Editor

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UPDATE: Yes. He was executed just before 10 p.m.:

“I’m sorry my actions caused you pain,” he said to the witnesses present. “I hope this brings you the closure that you seek. Never harbor hate.”

*****

Reuters says they’re about to:

Texas is set to defy the World Court and anger Mexico on Tuesday by executing a Mexican national who was not informed of his right to consular services after his arrest.

Texas, by far America’s most active death penalty state, condemned Jose Medellin for the 1993 rape and murder of 16-year-old Elizabeth Pena in Houston. Another girl was killed in the vicious gang-related assault but Medellin was convicted only of Pena’s murder.

The World Court last month ordered the U.S. government to “take all measures necessary” to halt the upcoming execution of five Mexicans until it makes a final judgment in a dispute over suspects’ rights.

So what if they do?

“The impact of ignoring this endangers Americans traveling abroad,” said Victoria Palacios, a professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law in Dallas. “If the world sees us ignoring the rights of foreign nationals arrested here, there is very little reason for them to recognize the rights of U.S. citizens.”

Via Facing South:

The case has drawn international legal attention and underscores the deep gulf between U.S. views of the death penalty and those elsewhere. Texas has executed far more people than any other state in the United States—more than 400 prisoners since the Supreme Court lifted a ban on the practice in 1976.

Jeralyn at TalkLeft has much more.



This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 10:44 am and is filed under Death, Death Penalty, Civil Liberties, Mexico, Crime, Law & Legal Matters. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 2 Comments

    • ^
    • v
    Just have the President say he's a terrorist, send him to Gitmo, and have him "commit suicide."
    • ^
    • v
    It is fascinating to read in Reuters how "Texas set to defy World Court:"

    The Supreme Court of the United States has said the World Court has no writ or authority to dictate or override Texas law.

    Consider the tone of the Reuters article, giving some indication of the stakes in this case for US sovereignty.

    "The World Court last month ordered the U.S. government to "take all measures necessary" to halt the upcoming execution of five Mexicans until it makes a final judgment in a dispute over suspects' rights."

    The World Court sees itself as able to give orders to the United States government, and as the court of final appeal over US law.

    Fascinating how folks on the Left (see TalkLeft) are so eager to dismiss US sovereignty, the Constitution, and the girls who were brutally murdered in this case . . . in order to spite Bush.

    So what. . . two girls were raped, tortured and murdered . . . whatever. What about that poor innocent AQ suspect who was waterboarded at Gitmo?! That is the real crime!

    "The June 1993 crime for which Medellin was condemned was chilling. According to the Texas Attorney General's office, Pena and her 14-year-old companion, Jennifer Ertman, were walking home when they encountered a gang initiation.
    Medellin and his fellow gang members sexually assaulted, beat and strangled the two girls. When their badly decomposed bodies were finally recovered, they could only be identified by dental records."
 
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