Supreme Court Ruling: World Court Decisions Not Binding in US

The case has put President Bush in an odd position. As governor of Texas in the 1990’s, he declined to intervene in dozens of executions. As president, Mr. Bush initially objected to the lawsuit Mexico filed before the World Court that led to that tribunal’s 2004 decision.

But in 2005, the White House announced that it would abide by the World Court’s ruling and would instruct the states to reconsider the convictions and sentences of Mexican nationals on death row. The Texas courts refused to go along, however.