LaGrand Case (Germany v. United States)
International Court of Justice
2001 I.C.J. 466
LaGrand, a German citizen, was held on death row in the United States (defendant) after U.S. law enforcement failed to inform him upon arrest of his right under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) to have his consulate notified of his detention. Germany (plaintiff) brought the case before the ICJ, arguing the failure violated both Germany's own treaty rights and LaGrand's individual rights, and separately raised whether U.S. courts should have to reconsider such cases to determine whether the VCCR violation actually prejudiced the defendants' ability to mount a strong defense.
Whether an international convention may create individual rights belonging to each national of the convention's member states, separate from rights belonging only to the states themselves.