My father has recently written about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Medellin v. Texas in which the the court ruled 6-3 that Texas is not bound by the International Court of Justice (often known as the World Court). The Bush Administration wanted Texas to submit to the World Court and reopen a death penalty conviction of Ernesto Medellin.

The World Court had demanded, under the provisions of the Vienna Convention, that the Texas courts reopen the death penalty conviction of Ernesto Medellin. Medellin was found guilty of the rape and murder of two teenage girls. However, he is a Mexican citizen, and under the Vienna Convention should have been told of his right to contact the Mexican consulate. No such notice was given, and the World Court considered this reason to consider overturning the conviction and setting Medellin free.

Thankfully, Chief Justice Roberts rejected President Bush’s challenge and reaffirmed that America is bound by the U.S. Constitution and not “International law.”

The majority decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, insisted that although the United States was, at the time, a party to that provision of the Vienna Convention (the U.S. has since withdrawn), Congress has never provided any statutory mechanism for enforcement. Only Congress, having all legislative power at the national level, can make a treaty the “supreme law of the land” (Article VI, paragraph 2 of the Constitution).

Click here to read my father’s report.