In a first-of-its-kind ruling, Texas’ Court of Criminal Appeals has held that an International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision and President George W. Bush’s directive that state courts comply with that decision do not require the CCA to revisit a death-row inmate’s case.
“We hold that the President has exceeded his constitutional authority by intruding into the independent powers of the judiciary,” CCA Judge Mike Keasler wrote for a plurality of the court in Nov. 15′s Ex Parte Medellin. [See the court's plurality opinion and concurring opinions.]
