Mexico has returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in seeking a stay of execution for Mexican-born inmates in the U.S. Mexico requested the U.N.’s highest court, commonly referred to as the World Court, to intervene because the United States has failed to comply with an earlier ICJ judgment ordering a review of the trials of the Mexican citizens. The World Court ruled in 2004 that the U.S. violated the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations because it had not provided the Mexican inmates access to their home country’s consular officials prior to their trials.

The ICJ held that the convictions and death sentences of these death row inmates required further review. President Bush acknowledged the judgment of the ICJ and ordered state courts to review the cases. Texas, however, refused, and the issue of the President’s power went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jose Medellin, a death row inmate and Mexican citizen, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to enforce the ICJ’s ruling. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal on March 25, stating that Bush had overstepped his authority. The majority opinion stated that the Constitution, “allows the President to execute the laws, not make them.” The World Court will soon convene to weigh Mexico’s request to halt the executions.

(A. Max, “Mexico asks World Court to stay executions in US,” L.A. Times, June 5, 2008). See International and Foreign Nationals.