Medellin v. Texas

Today, just days short of the fourth anniversary of the International Court of Justice's judgment in Avena, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Medellin v. Texas (No. 06-984). The Court, in an opinion authored by Chief Justice Roberts, decided in favor of Texas, 6-3. In so doing, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that the International Court's decision was directly enforceable in U.S. courts; the Supreme Court also rejected the argument that the President's memorandum was sufficient to preempt Texas law. Justice Breyer, with whom Justices Souter and Ginsburg concurred, dissented. Justice Stevens filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. The opinions are available here. For previous coverage, see here, here, here, here, and here.