US courts not bound by ICJ or Bush orders - ruling

US: US COURTS are not bound by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or by direct orders from the president, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday when it refused to allow a fresh hearing for a Mexican on death row, writes Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington.

State courts were also not obliged to follow orders from George Bush, who had instructed Texas to comply with the ICJ, the ruling said.

The decision could put the US at odds with EU countries and Mexico, which had urged the Supreme Court to order a new hearing for José Ernesto Medellin.

It was also a rebuff for Mr Bush, who had put been put in the awkward position of trying to shield Medellin, a gang member convicted in 1993 of raping and strangling to death two teenage girls.

The intervention was all the more difficult for Mr Bush because Texas is his home state. As governor, he signed the death warrant for more than 150 prisoners. - (Guardian service)

© 2008 The Irish Times

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