The Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of Medellin v. Texas. Jose Medellin, along with other Mexican nationals, is currently awaiting capital punishment in the state of Texas. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the convictions violate the Vienna Convention, on the grounds that the prisoners had been denied their rights to have consular assistance. The Texas Attorney General has argued that the the prisoners had waived their rights. President Bush, who joined in the call for the Supreme Court to hear the case, had stated that the United States would abide by the ICJ’s decision. However, the State of Texas has argued that neither Bush nor the ICJ may trump the state’s rules of criminal procedure.
The International Herald Tribune covers the story.