Published: 03-26-08
Says court correctly decided Medellin v. Texas case
AUSTIN—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Texas Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice made the following statement Tuesday regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Medellin v. Texas case:
“Jose Ernesto Medellin is a brutal criminal who terrorized and murdered two innocent girls in Texas. Today the Supreme Court upheld the right of Texans to administer criminal justice under our state’s laws and consistent with the U.S. Constitution. The high court correctly ruled that the President’s unprecedented attempt to unilaterally impose an international treaty obligation on a state and its courts exceeds his constitutional powers. Foreign governments and international law should not dictate how Texas administers justice.
“This ruling is particularly important because other foreign nationals who committed similar crimes in our country would have used this case to extend their appeals process and delay justice. I hope that with the conclusion of this case the victims of this brutal criminal and their families will finally see the justice they have long sought.”
Background -- José Ernesto Medellín confessed to and was convicted of the brutal gang rape and murder of two teenage girls in Houston. Prior to today’s ruling by the Supreme Court he had numerous appeals rejected by state and federal courts.
The only judicial body to rule favorably for this brutal murderer was the International Court of Justice in The Hague (Netherlands) in 2004 in a case brought by Mexico against the United States. Even that court rejected Mexico’s request for annulment of Medellín’s conviction and sentence. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in the Court’s majority opinion that “the responsibility for transforming an international obligation arising from a non-self-executing treaty into domestic law falls to Congress.”
More information--
Sen. Cornyn Column on Related Issues -- Domestic Not Foreign: Our laws should be judged by our laws
http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.p?ref=/comment/cornyn200503280734.asp
Sen. Cornyn Amicus Brief on Related Medellin Case -- http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/04-5928/04-5928.mer.ami.cornyn.pdf
