(Supreme) Court won't stop execution of Mexican (Humberto Leal) (Obama requested a stay)

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday rejected a White House-backed appeal seeking to spare a Mexican citizen from execution Thursday evening in a death penalty case where Texas justice clashed with international treaty rights.

Justices voted 5-4, refusing to keep Humberto Leal from lethal injection, The decision came about an hour before Leal could be taken to the Texas death chamber for the 1994 rape-slaying of a 16-year-old girl.

The Obama administration and others asked the high court to delay Leal's execution so Congress could consider a law that would require court reviews in cases where condemned foreign nationals did not receive help from their consulates. They said the case could affect not only foreigners in the U.S. but Americans detained in other countries.

Prosecutors, however, said the legislation was likely to fail and that Leal's appeals were simply an attempt to evade justice for a gruesome murder.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7643809.html

[Unvanguard]

1. I haven't checked the vote breakdown.

But I have a pretty good guess as to what it is.

Edit: And I was right. Opinion here.

[boppers]

2. Seems to be purely a procedural argument.

"A law might be someday passed that would change my case" isn't a very persuasive argument, though.... thanks for the link, though!

[alp227]

3. oh, could a lot of court time be saved up by repealing the death penalty? n/t

[InkAddict]

21. America is well along on the road to just doing away w/trials and

due process altogether - He's fairly lucky to have received those antiquities of American Texas justice before he got off'd. It's pathetic and messed up to request a stay for this diabolical "life" and turn around and kill the "livlihoods" of American taxpayers who load and long-haul those goods by truck. I assume the justice meted out to this Mexican will be well recompensed by increasing the "livlihoods" of the good Mexican drug lords, er, I mean truckers. Yay! NOT!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

22. Like all those awful states in the Northeast that don't have it?

And therefore are the most horrible, un-American places in the US?

God forbid! America should be like Arizona, not like Massachusetts! :crazy:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Can't jeopardize the righteous boners of the death perverts. -nt

[FiveGoodMen]

6. Well put!

:fistbump:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Heh. Speak of the devil...

If you know what I mean.

[Bluerthanblue]

5. this is really sad.

I'd hoped they'd have ruled fairly.

[MikeW]

7. nothing unfair about it ... he committed brutal murder ... man gets what he gets

[brooklynite]

24. The death penalty isn't actually the issue...

The Administration's decision to step into this case had to do with the International Law implications of a Mexican National not having an opportunity to talk to his Consular officials. I'm sure the conservatives popping champagne corks tonight will be equally understanding if an American is denied his or her rights when arrested abroad.

[emilyg]

8. Had that been your

daughter you would feel differently. There is no doubt he did it.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. Would she?

Would she really?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/opinion/30sat3.html

[emilyg]

10. In cases like this one I'm

not against the death penalty.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. Your opinion is painfully obvious. Don't try to second-guess others'. -nt

[emilyg]

17. My opinion is no better/worse

than your opinion. When I was very young I thought like you. Good-night.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. My point is ''If it was your XYZ you'd think different'' is proven bullshit.

The post didn't say anything about the relative merits of any opinions.

[Bluerthanblue]

20. thank you.

no I most definitely wouldn't. I've told my friends and family often, that should I die at someone else's hand, the only thing that could ever make that worse, would be if my death was used to justify killing someone in return.

Doing what I believe in my core to be wrong, would never be ok.

thanks for the link to that article as well.

[atreides1]

12. You're right

We are the Great USA we can ignore pretty much any treaty we agree to...

[emilyg]

13. He had roughly 14 years of good

lawyers. I am glad he's dead.

[Bluerthanblue]

23. it's possible you wouldn't feel that way if he were more

to you than a stranger. But that's your business.

I'm never glad to hear that anyone has died. An uncomfortable relief when inevitable suffering ended, but glad? Nope, not me.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. have you looked into this case closely? While there is no doubt

that he was there when it happened, the ONLY reason he is being executed is because the charges were compounded.

Saying that it is sad that the US will knowingly and intentionally end the life of a human being as a supposedly "just" way of responding to the belief that this man took another persons life, is obscene.

If it HAD been my daughter, or anyone I loved and cherished it wouldn't change my response.

The woman was gang-raped before she died. This man wasn't a part of that. NONE of those who raped her, -and they know who they were- were even brought to trial.

Is THIS your idea of the American Just'us' system?

It isn't mine.

This won't bring her back, or keep other people from being killed.

[emilyg]

25. Facts

Facts of the Crime:

Convicted in the abduction, rape and bludgeoning of 16-year-old Adria Saveda of San Antonio. Saveda was raped with a piece of lumber and her head crushed by a 35-pound piece of asphalt after being abducted from a party by Leal. Her nude body was found near a creek off Reforma Drive with the piece of lumber still protruding from her vagina. When arrested, police found scratches and cuts on Leal’s face and body.

Leal was sentenced to death on September 1, 1995.

[Abin Sur]

11. Humberto Leal is now dead

Good.

[Schattie]

15. KER-FLUSH! He's dead.

[unblock]

26. this case isn't about leal and those who cheer his death will have american blood on their hands

someday, an american will be executed in mexico (or another country with which we have a similar treaty) after being denied access to legal help through an american consulate.

the american press perhaps will cover the story, denouncing the foreign kangaroo court in that banana republic, maybe even trying to gin up military intervention.

but when we do it, it's ok, right?


the 5 supremos just blatantly ignored what the constitution calls the "supreme law of the land" for the sake of getting their rocks off.
it's one thing for these murderous jerks to insist on carrying out executions when prodedure has been followed even though we now think the guy is innocent; it's another thing for these murderous jerks to insist on carrying out executions when procedure has NOT been followed. basically, it seems any chance the get to snuff someone, they take it.

[alp227]

27. clarification, Mexico doesn't have the death penalty for non-military crimes n/t

[unblock]

28. this is not about current mexican law nor even about mexico in particular

the 5 supremos have announced to the world that when it comes to treatment of prisoners, neither proper procedure not signed treaties not demonstrative innocence will stand in their way of squeezing the life out of any neck they can wrap their hands around.

to think this will not come back to haunt americans abroad, somewhere, someday, is pure insanity.

[emilyg]

29. He and his

lawyers had many, many years to focus on this.

[unblock]

30. that's an odd statement in a case about access to competent counsel

and what's the point of the timing, anyway? is your argument that had they brought this up last year, or five years ago, the supreme court would have ruled differently?

[emilyg]

31. Perhaps.

[classysassy]

32. The Mexican courts

I wonder how secure Americans in Mexicans jails feel to night.Thanks Supreme Court Jesters,you fools are worst that clowns you cause so much pain.