One of the more significant decisions of the Supreme Court's current term passed largely under the radar yesterday, drowned out by the ongoing drama of the democratic presidential primaries.
In a split decision, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in Medellin v. Texas, a case involving whether or not the State of Texas is obligated to comply with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to which the United States is a party.
The majority opinion, written by Chief Justice Roberts and joined by Justices Alito, Kennedy, Scalia and Thomas, held categorically that Texas is under no obligation to uphold the terms of the treaty. This holding comes despite the fact that the United States is a party to the treaty, having signed and ratified it nearly forty years ago.
The Court held that in order for an individual state to be bound by a treaty entered into by the Federal government, congress must pass, and the President must sign, a statute which expressly requires that specific state to be thus bound.
The ruling will likely have a far reaching impact on the way the United States enters into treaties, and could cause other Nations to hesitate before entering future treaties with the U.S.
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