Today’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram features an editorial on last week’s execution of Humberto Leal and the implications for the rule of law (“U.S. treaty promises must mean what they say,” July 14, 2011). The editorial notes that “Though his case is over, that shouldn’t remove the urgency of Congress approving legislation to make clear that this nation takes treaty promises seriously and will enforce them.” The Consular Notification Compliance Act, introduced earlier this summer by Senator Patrick Leahy, would allow federal courts to review cases of foreign nationals on death row to determine whether they were harmed by the lack of consular access.
Read more from the Star-Telegram: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/07/13/3220031/us-treaty-promises-must-mean-what.html#article_comments#ixzz1S6jYxOap
Read more about the execution from the San Antonio Express-News: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/About-to-die-Leal-apologizes-for-killing-S-A-1456909.php#ixzz1S6lRqi5C
Read more coverage of criticism of the execution at StandDown.org: http://standdown.typepad.com/weblog/2011/07/criticism-of-leal-execution-continues.html.