Medellin v. Texas

Atlanta Lawyers Chapter

Speaker:

• Ted Cruz, Texas Solicitor General

Speaker:

• Ted Cruz, Texas Solicitor General

Please join us at noon on Friday, December 14, for our December luncheon, featuring Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, who will be speaking about Medellin v. Texas, a case he recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. Following is a brief summary of the Medellin case for those that might be unfamiliar with it. The case arose from a ruling of the International Court of Justice that Mexican national Jose Medellin -- who sits on death row in Texas for the murder of a young girl as part of a gang initiation -- had been denied a right of consular access under the Vienna Convention and was entitled to review of his conviction and sentence. After the Texas courts determined that Medellin was entitled to no relief from his conviction, the President -- invoking executive authority to enforce U.S. treaty obligations -- directed the Texas courts to give further review to Medellin's case. The Texas courts refused, holding that the President has no authority to command state courts to follow the decision of an international tribunal when state criminal procedure forbids it, and the U.S. Supreme Court granted cert.

$10 for members
$15 for non-members; $5 for students

Please RSVP by Monday, December 10, 2007 to (404) 880-4771 or jskyrme@phrd.com