Thread: mexican on death row to get hearings

Mexicans on Death Row to Get Hearings
Bush Tells Texas Courts to Review Cases of 51 Denied Consular Aid

By Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2005; Page A02

The Bush administration has announced that it will attempt to defuse a long-simmering international dispute over the death penalty by instructing Texas state courts to give 51 Mexicans facing the death penalty new hearings on their claims that they were denied meetings with diplomats from their nation, in violation of international law.

In a Feb. 28 brief filed with the Supreme Court, the administration said the United States would bow to a 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, also known as the World Court, which found that Texas officials violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by not providing the Mexicans with consular access. That treaty, ratified by the United States in 1969, provides that "consular officers shall have the right to visit a national of the sending State who is in prison, custody or detention, to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation."

Mexican national Jose E. Medellin sued when denied access to diplomats. (Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice--AP File)


Wednesday's Question:
The National Council of La Raza on Tuesday honored Alberto Gonzales, the first Hispanic U.S. attorney general, at an awards ceremony. Which president was the first to appoint a Hispanic to his Cabinet?
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton


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The situation of Mexicans facing capital punishment in Texas has been a sore point in relations between Washington and Mexico City. Mexico argues that its citizens would fare better in Texas courts if they got aid from home-country diplomats. The consular-access issue has also flared between the United States and its European allies, who are generally critical of the death penalty, especially in Bush's home state. Germany pressed and won a World Court case in 2001 over a German national who faced a capital trial in Arizona without consular access.

More broadly, the United States has been under fire in international forums for the Bush administration's perceived refusal to adhere to international legal norms in such places as the prison for accused terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"The government of Mexico is very satisfied. . . . Without doubt this is a step that Mexico has looked for," said Arturo Dager, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico City. He said that although it does not necessarily mean the sentences will be changed, Bush's decision to review them is "more in line with international law."

Ana Maria Salazar, a political analyst in Mexico City, said that "if President Bush doesn't commute [the sentences], there could be a big backlash" for Mexican President Vicente Fox. She said that by raising the death penalty issue ahead of this month's meeting with Fox, Bush has taken what had been a dormant issue in Mexico and raised expectations of U.S. action.

In its Supreme Court brief in the Mexicans' case, Medellin v. Dretke, No. 04-5928, the Bush administration declared that the president has concluded that, on this issue, it is in the United States' interest to provide foreigners with consular access, lest such access be denied to U.S. citizens abroad.

"In this case, the President, the nation's representative in foreign affairs, has determined that the United States will comply with the ICJ decision," says the brief, drafted by Acting Solicitor General Paul D. Clement with input from State Department lawyers. "Compliance serves to protect the interests of United States citizens abroad, promotes the effective conduct of foreign relations, and underscores the United States' commitment in the international community to the rule of law."

Bush's nod to international opinion involves a sweeping assertion of executive authority within the United States, in that, without any legislative action by Congress, he is issuing instructions to the courts of a sovereign state as to how to treat defendants. Texas courts, the president says, should review the Mexicans' cases to see if the lack of consular access affected their trials or sentencing.

His approach would also greatly reduce the role of the Supreme Court, which has been asked by attorneys for one of the Mexicans, Jose E. Medellin, to rule that the decision of the World Court is all the authority individual foreigners need to get a new hearing in U.S. state courts.

"It is for the President, not the courts, to determine whether the United States should comply with the decision, and, if so, how," the administration's brief says.

It is unclear whether the Supreme Court, which is protective of its role in interpreting federal treaty obligations, will be willing to go along with Bush's suggestion.

Correspondent Kevin Sullivan contributed to this report.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... 5Mar7.html




WHAT ELSE COULD THIS GUY DO TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THE TAX PAYERS OF THIS COUNTRY TO #$## *$#!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mexicans on Death Row to Get Hearings
Bush Tells Texas Courts to Review Cases of 51 Denied Consular Aid

By Charles Lane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 8, 2005; Page A02

The Bush administration has announced that it will attempt to defuse a long-simmering international dispute over the death penalty by instructing Texas state courts to give 51 Mexicans facing the death penalty new hearings on their claims that they were denied meetings with diplomats from their nation, in violation of international law.

In a Feb. 28 brief filed with the Supreme Court, the administration said the United States would bow to a 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, also known as the World Court, which found that Texas officials violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by not providing the Mexicans with consular access. That treaty, ratified by the United States in 1969, provides that "consular officers shall have the right to visit a national of the sending State who is in prison, custody or detention, to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation."

Mexican national Jose E. Medellin sued when denied access to diplomats. (Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice--AP File)


Wednesday's Question:
The National Council of La Raza on Tuesday honored Alberto Gonzales, the first Hispanic U.S. attorney general, at an awards ceremony. Which president was the first to appoint a Hispanic to his Cabinet?
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton


_____Free E-mail Newsletters_____
• Today's Headlines & Columnists
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Daily Politics News & Analysis
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Federal Insider
See a Sample | Sign Up Now
• Breaking News Alerts
See a Sample | Sign Up Now

The situation of Mexicans facing capital punishment in Texas has been a sore point in relations between Washington and Mexico City. Mexico argues that its citizens would fare better in Texas courts if they got aid from home-country diplomats. The consular-access issue has also flared between the United States and its European allies, who are generally critical of the death penalty, especially in Bush's home state. Germany pressed and won a World Court case in 2001 over a German national who faced a capital trial in Arizona without consular access.

More broadly, the United States has been under fire in international forums for the Bush administration's perceived refusal to adhere to international legal norms in such places as the prison for accused terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"The government of Mexico is very satisfied. . . . Without doubt this is a step that Mexico has looked for," said Arturo Dager, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico City. He said that although it does not necessarily mean the sentences will be changed, Bush's decision to review them is "more in line with international law."

Ana Maria Salazar, a political analyst in Mexico City, said that "if President Bush doesn't commute [the sentences], there could be a big backlash" for Mexican President Vicente Fox. She said that by raising the death penalty issue ahead of this month's meeting with Fox, Bush has taken what had been a dormant issue in Mexico and raised expectations of U.S. action.

In its Supreme Court brief in the Mexicans' case, Medellin v. Dretke, No. 04-5928, the Bush administration declared that the president has concluded that, on this issue, it is in the United States' interest to provide foreigners with consular access, lest such access be denied to U.S. citizens abroad.

"In this case, the President, the nation's representative in foreign affairs, has determined that the United States will comply with the ICJ decision," says the brief, drafted by Acting Solicitor General Paul D. Clement with input from State Department lawyers. "Compliance serves to protect the interests of United States citizens abroad, promotes the effective conduct of foreign relations, and underscores the United States' commitment in the international community to the rule of law."

Bush's nod to international opinion involves a sweeping assertion of executive authority within the United States, in that, without any legislative action by Congress, he is issuing instructions to the courts of a sovereign state as to how to treat defendants. Texas courts, the president says, should review the Mexicans' cases to see if the lack of consular access affected their trials or sentencing.

His approach would also greatly reduce the role of the Supreme Court, which has been asked by attorneys for one of the Mexicans, Jose E. Medellin, to rule that the decision of the World Court is all the authority individual foreigners need to get a new hearing in U.S. state courts.

"It is for the President, not the courts, to determine whether the United States should comply with the decision, and, if so, how," the administration's brief says.

It is unclear whether the Supreme Court, which is protective of its role in interpreting federal treaty obligations, will be willing to go along with Bush's suggestion.

Correspondent Kevin Sullivan contributed to this report.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... 5Mar7.html




WHAT ELSE COULD THIS GUY DO TO TELL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THE TAX PAYERS OF THIS COUNTRY TO #$## *$#!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GP,

Read this in the newspaper yesterday and was outraged. I'm still outraged!

The currrent administration is, IMHO, responding to every whim and demand that comes their way BUT the will and desire of the people who put them into office.

So much for campaign platforms and promises which seem to go to the wayside the moment the election is decided and the ink is dry.

One of the biggest whiners and maniplators is Fox. His nerve never ceases to astound me.

"The government of Mexico is very satisfied. . . . Without doubt this is a step that Mexico has looked for," said Arturo Dager, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico City. He said that although it does not necessarily mean the sentences will be changed, Bush's decision to review them is "more in line with international law."

I doubt the citizens of the US are thrilled at this development. We are a democracy slowly being enslaved by the whims and demands of a power-hungry would-be dictator who has his sights set on America for none other than evil self-serving and self-aggrandizing purposes.

Ol' sly Fox, with every toe he gets in the door, is gaining a foothold which will become a stronghold unless he is stopped. His interest in America goes far beyond economic gain but is rooted in manical power and the desire to Re-Mexicanize the SW US.

GP,

Read this in the newspaper yesterday and was outraged. I'm still outraged!

The currrent administration is, IMHO, responding to every whim and demand that comes their way BUT the will and desire of the people who put them into office.

So much for campaign platforms and promises which seem to go to the wayside the moment the election is decided and the ink is dry.

One of the biggest whiners and maniplators is Fox. His nerve never ceases to astound me.

"The government of Mexico is very satisfied. . . . Without doubt this is a step that Mexico has looked for," said Arturo Dager, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico City. He said that although it does not necessarily mean the sentences will be changed, Bush's decision to review them is "more in line with international law."

I doubt the citizens of the US are thrilled at this development. We are a democracy slowly being enslaved by the whims and demands of a power-hungry would-be dictator who has his sights set on America for none other than evil self-serving and self-aggrandizing purposes.

Ol' sly Fox, with every toe he gets in the door, is gaining a foothold which will become a stronghold unless he is stopped. His interest in America goes far beyond economic gain but is rooted in manical power and the desire to Re-Mexicanize the SW US.

To say that this is an outrage is a gross understatement. No it's not an outrage, it's an abomination. Sad part is that if this president was a Democrat (he really is) than the Republicans would have screamed bloody murder and rightfully so. But not one of these cowards in congress have said one damn negative thing about this that I can think of. I don't think even Clinton would have been this bold. In fact this is way worse than Clintons 11th hour pardons. I don't know how anybody can even respect this president anymore, let alone support him. This guy is a traitor in every since of the word. It's apparent to me that this president has nothing, but total contempt for this country and doesn't have America or it's citizens best interest at heart.

This isn't your so called good hearted illegal aliens looking for work. These are vicious gang members convicted of gang rape and murder. They had a lawyer, a fair trial and an infinite amount of appeals. So what that a local consulate didn't get notified? These are the same consulates that hand out fake ID's and handbooks on how to invade the US so that illegal aliens can continue their onslaught on America and further rip off the taxpayers of their nickel. These consulates are traitors too and they should be shut down under RICO like yesterday. Now Bush wants to get these murders off on a technicality? Even for Bush this is low. This is a slap in the face to anybody who has ever tried to obey and/or enforce our laws. Has their ever been a Republican as bad as Bush being the president? I don't think so. The only politican who I can think of as president that's worse overall is Jimmy Carter (not by much either).

The fact that Bush is doing this to kowtow to Mexico and the World Courts (which is exactly why) is outrageous beyond description. Obviously Bush either doesn't know the meaning of the word sovereignty or he does and just doesn't care. He seems to care more about Mexico and Iraq's sovereignty then he does ours. If you as a citizen aint outraged either you aint paying attention or you too don't care. This is your country heading into a third world hell. Does anybody care?

Straight up, this President should be impeached. He has shirked his constitutional duties and has spit in the face of every citizen he swore an oath to protect. His crimes are even worse then Clintons. If any of you still support this man then either you have a hidden agenda to profit financially or politically that no one else knows about yet or you have the IQ of a gnat.

Like I said a while back, I respect the position of the presidency, I don't respect the man and it's politicans like him which is the reason why that the scum of the earth (criminals, illegals, felons, murderers, rapists, terrorists) have more rights than we do as citizens. We are prisioners in our own country. This country is being destroyed from within by an enemy far greater of a threat than Al Qaeda. It's very sad that our #1 enemy of our countries security and sovereignty is the very same man we've voted back into power as our president for the second straight time. Middle Class America better either wake up or continue to sleepwalk through our country being decimated into a third world hellhole no thanks to our corrupt cowardly politicans and the dogs of hate from the media, the lobbyists, the big business criminals and outside foreign meddling particularly from the Mexican government (who are a much bigger threat to our sovereignty then Iraq ever was).

That's the end of my rant for now. If I went too far I apologize, but I'm just really upset right now. I really wanted to say far worse then this, but I'll hold back because I don't want to get banned.

To say that this is an outrage is a gross understatement. No it's not an outrage, it's an abomination. Sad part is that if this president was a Democrat (he really is) than the Republicans would have screamed bloody murder and rightfully so. But not one of these cowards in congress have said one damn negative thing about this that I can think of. I don't think even Clinton would have been this bold. In fact this is way worse than Clintons 11th hour pardons. I don't know how anybody can even respect this president anymore, let alone support him. This guy is a traitor in every since of the word. It's apparent to me that this president has nothing, but total contempt for this country and doesn't have America or it's citizens best interest at heart.

This isn't your so called good hearted illegal aliens looking for work. These are vicious gang members convicted of gang rape and murder. They had a lawyer, a fair trial and an infinite amount of appeals. So what that a local consulate didn't get notified? These are the same consulates that hand out fake ID's and handbooks on how to invade the US so that illegal aliens can continue their onslaught on America and further rip off the taxpayers of their nickel. These consulates are traitors too and they should be shut down under RICO like yesterday. Now Bush wants to get these murders off on a technicality? Even for Bush this is low. This is a slap in the face to anybody who has ever tried to obey and/or enforce our laws. Has their ever been a Republican as bad as Bush being the president? I don't think so. The only politican who I can think of as president that's worse overall is Jimmy Carter (not by much either).

The fact that Bush is doing this to kowtow to Mexico and the World Courts (which is exactly why) is outrageous beyond description. Obviously Bush either doesn't know the meaning of the word sovereignty or he does and just doesn't care. He seems to care more about Mexico and Iraq's sovereignty then he does ours. If you as a citizen aint outraged either you aint paying attention or you too don't care. This is your country heading into a third world hell. Does anybody care?

Straight up, this President should be impeached. He has shirked his constitutional duties and has spit in the face of every citizen he swore an oath to protect. His crimes are even worse then Clintons. If any of you still support this man then either you have a hidden agenda to profit financially or politically that no one else knows about yet or you have the IQ of a gnat.

Like I said a while back, I respect the position of the presidency, I don't respect the man and it's politicans like him which is the reason why that the scum of the earth (criminals, illegals, felons, murderers, rapists, terrorists) have more rights than we do as citizens. We are prisioners in our own country. This country is being destroyed from within by an enemy far greater of a threat than Al Qaeda. It's very sad that our #1 enemy of our countries security and sovereignty is the very same man we've voted back into power as our president for the second straight time. Middle Class America better either wake up or continue to sleepwalk through our country being decimated into a third world hellhole no thanks to our corrupt cowardly politicans and the dogs of hate from the media, the lobbyists, the big business criminals and outside foreign meddling particularly from the Mexican government (who are a much bigger threat to our sovereignty then Iraq ever was).

That's the end of my rant for now. If I went too far I apologize, but I'm just really upset right now. I really wanted to say far worse then this, but I'll hold back because I don't want to get banned.

dman1200 YOU GO BOY!!!!!!!COULD'NT HAVE SAID IT BETTER........

dman1200 YOU GO BOY!!!!!!!COULD'NT HAVE SAID IT BETTER........