Bush caves in to World Court on death penalty.

Continuing a trend of caving in to international tribunals. President Bush issued an executive order on March 8 directing state courts to review dozens of death row cases involving Mexican nationals. The president's order came in response to a ruling by the International Court of Justice, a UN tribunal more commonly known as the World Court, which claimed that the U.S. violated the rights of 51 Mexicans on death rows in eight states. The president's order applies to 28 Mexican convicts in California prisons, 15 in Texas and others in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and Oregon.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican who rose to prominence when then-Governor Bush appointed him to the state Supreme Court, is opposing President Bush on this issue. Abbott contends President Bush has no constitutional authority to order hearings in Texas courts and that the convicts aren't entitled to any more hearings, regardless of appeals to international tribunals.