Supreme Court weighs whether family of slain Mexican teen can sue in U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate of a lawsuit brought by the parents of a Mexican teenager shot to death across the U.S. border by an agent may rest on whether the family can convince a conservative Supreme Court justice to join them.

The high court on Tuesday heard arguments in a 2010 case where Border Patrol Agent Jesus Mesa Jr. fired into Mexico, killing Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca. The unarmed boy was playing a game with friends where they ran to the U.S. border and ran back to Mexico when Mesa came upon them.

The family is suing the agent, arguing their son’s civil rights were violated.

The government did not prosecute Mesa or allow him to be extradited to Mexico.

Conservatives hold a 5-4 majority, and decisions often split along those lines.