Garcia v. Texas - International and Domestic Law

For those of you interested in reading more about the Garcia v. Texas case, as an example of the frequent tension between international law and the domestic law of federal states, here is a helpful blog-post review of the case. The Supreme Court decision itself can be found here.

The government of the United States argued in an amicus brief that the international relations of the U.S. would be harmed if Texas proceeded with the execution, in violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Interestingly, earlier this year the United States insisted on strict compliance with the companion treaty, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, in the case of the CIA officer held in Pakistan for killing two people in the streets of Lahore. You can read more about that case at the links here, here and here.

We will look at the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations later in the course, and consider whether Mr. Davis was indeed entitled to diplomatic immunity.