Judge in Life or Death Case Considered Conservative, Compassionate (Terri Schiavo Case)

AP | 10/25/03 | Vickie Chachere

[kattracks]

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) - Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer has been called a murderer and equated with the Roman governor who condemned Jesus to death. He has been vilified in Internet chat rooms and has received death threats by e-mail.

Greer is the judge who granted Terri Schiavo's husband permission to remove her feeding tube in one of the longest and most contentious right-to-life battles. His decision was second-guessed and essentially overridden by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush last week.

Following judicial code of conduct, Greer has been silent about the public debate over the Schiavo case and the criticism he has faced. He declined a request for an interview.

But those who know the 61-year-old probate judge say he is a prudent jurist who probably agonized over his decisions.

"He is such a good and decent man and to have this kind of rap being put on him right now is so unfair," said Mary Repper, a political strategist who has helped Greer's campaigns. "If ever this was to be put into the hands of someone who is going to be fair and do the right thing, George was the right person."

Through four years of hearings and legal wrangling, Greer considered Michael Schiavo's request to remove his severely brain-damaged wife's feeding tube against the wishes of her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler.

A heart attack in 1990 left Terri Schiavo, now 39, in a persistently vegetative state and court-appointed doctors believe there is no hope of recovery. Greer ruled Michael Schiavo showed "clear and convincing" evidence his wife did not want to be kept alive artificially and permitted him to end her nourishment.

The extraordinary reversal of his ruling by Bush and the Legislature will now become the central issue in a new legal fight over the separation of powers that will be waged to overturn what's now known as "Terri's Law."

While Greer has become a key figure in the international news event, few outside of Pinellas County know the man who friends describe as conservative, religious and particularly sensitive to protecting the disabled.

Greer is legally blind and cannot drive. While his condition doesn't hamper his abilities on the bench, colleagues and others said in interviews last week it gives him a perspective in dealing with the rights of the impaired few jurists have.

"He is so conscientious anyway, you put a case involving human life in front of him and it makes him even more careful," said Ed Armstrong, a Clearwater attorney who describes Greer as his mentor. "It's been an ordeal for him too."

Greer is a member of a conservative Baptist church which recently advocated keeping Terri Schiavo alive in a church newsletter. A moderate Republican, Greer served on the Pinellas County Commission for eight years before running unopposed for a circuit judgeship in 1992.

Repper and former Pinellas County Commissioner Charles Rainey said the fact that no one opposed the quiet, studious Greer speaks volumes for how well he is regarded in Pinellas County.

"He's doing what the law says to do. I am sure he struggles with himself, knowing George," Rainey said. "The man did everything he was asked to do as far as checking out the case, checking out the medical situation and he did it two or three times."

Greer is known for answering his own telephone in chambers and until recently being easily accessible to the press, characteristics that his friends say are holdovers from his days of being an elected official.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Greer graduated from Clearwater High School. He graduated from the University of Florida law school and was a successful zoning attorney in Clearwater when he was elected to the county commission in 1984. He been a judge since 1992 and is up for re-election next year.

Michael Schiavo first asked the probate court for permission to disconnect his wife's feeding tube in 1998, saying his wife had told him that she never wanted to be kept alive artificially. Her parents disagree. Two other judges handled the case before it was passed to Greer.

Greer turned down repeated requests from the Schindlers to order therapy for their daughter or to dismiss Michael Schiavo as her guardian. Just this week, Greer set a hearing in November, nearly a year after the Schindlers' last motion for a new guardian, to discuss that issue.

The Schindlers' attorneys attempted to have Greer removed from the case in recent weeks, saying he had improperly discussed the case with others. An appeals court decided Greer would stay.

The Schiavo case is not the only time Greer has been faced with the issue of removing a feeding tube from a vegetative patient. In 2000, the wife and grown children of St. Petersburg attorney Blair Clark faced off in Greer's courtroom after Clark collapsed from a heart attack.

Clark had a living will which said he did not want a feeding tube or respirator if he was determined to be in a permanent vegetative state. But his Chinese-born wife - who disputed her husband was vegetative and believed he could hear her - wanted to try acupuncture and medical techniques from her homeland.

Greer allowed an acupuncturist to administer a treatment session, and then granted Clark's children permission to withdraw their father's feeding tube. Clark's wife did not appeal the decision.

Clark died within days of the tube's removal.

"He was sympathetic and empathetic to the fact that we had somebody who in her culture believed in these alternative methods," said Doug Williamson, who represented the Clark children.

William Mayhew, who represented Clark's wife Ping, said he too believes Greer simply followed the law.

"Many judges would have figured out a way to dump (the Schiavo) case," said Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice, Greer's friend for more than 20 years. "But he stuck by it. He deserves a medal for enduring that alone."

[kattracks]

While these friends and political allies of Judge Greer have such glowing things to say about him, two things from this article struck me.

Judge Greer is blind, so he cannot actually see Terri responding to her parents.

Judge Greer allowed a woman in another case to try therapy. In all the years this case has been before him, why not allow limited therapy in Terri's case also?

[Route66]

I'm not sure I'd call allowing a therapist to administer 'a' treatment session allowing therapy. I don't know of any treatment for health situations such as this that could be expected to show significant results in one session.

[Notwithstanding]

FreeRepublic.com "A Conservative News Forum"

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DEFAMATION -- LIBEL: In Florida, Plaintiff Must Prove Falsity
Third District Court of Appeal ^ | March 28, 2003 | COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA, THIRD DISTRICT

Posted on 10/25/2003 12:22 PM EDT by Notwithstanding

Next, in Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps, 475 U.S. 767, 89 L. Ed. 2d 783, 106 S. Ct. 1558 (1986), the court found that at least where a media defendant is concerned, an actionable statement on matters of public concern must be provable as false by the plaintiff before there can be liability under state defamation law. The Hepps court limited its holding to cases involving media defendants and left open the question of the standard for non-media private defendants raising statements of public concern about public figures. n9 This is precisely the issue presented here. That is, this case raises the question of the applicable [*480] standard for an alleged defamed public official by a private defendant on matters of great public concern.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Footnotes - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

n9 See Hepps, 475 U.S. at 779 n.4.

- - - - - - - - - - - - End Footnotes- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the absence of any direct precedent from either the United States Supreme Court or Supreme Court of Florida on this issue, I believe that at the very minimum, the standard set forth in the New York Times [**21] line of cases, requiring actual malice, must govern. See Milkovich, 497 U.S. at 20 n.6 ("prior to Hepps, . . . where public official or public figure plaintiffs were involved, the New York Times rule already required a showing of falsity before liability could result." (citations omitted)).

Since actual malice requires more than the mere publication of a falsity, I believe that footnote 6 of the majority's opinion is misplaced. The ultimate issue here is not whether Horan's statements were false, but rather whether Horan knew or "recklessly disregarded" that his statements were false. See Nodar, 462 So. 2d at 806. Thus, it is not necessary, or even desirable, for Barnes to subpoena and depose the attorneys and sitting judges in Monroe County. n10 Moreover, the results of the "opinion poll," embraced by the majority, could not reliably discern the truth or falsity of Horan's assertions regarding Monroe County's judges' and lawyers' opinions of Barnes as a lawyer and/or candidate. See, e.g., Ollman v. Evans, 242 U.S. App. D.C. 301, 750 F.2d 970, 1006 (D.C. Cir. 1984) (a community's opinion of a plaintiff's stature [**22] in the community is incapable of being adjudicated with any expectation of accuracy). (Bork, J., concurring). Accordingly, I believe that such discovery is impermissible and should not be allowed to take place.

Barnes v. Horan, 841 So. 2d 472, 479-480 (Fla. App. , 2002)

==================

Foremost, we think Hepps [ Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. v. Hepps, 475 U.S. 767, 106 S. Ct. 1558, 89 L. Ed. 2d 783 (1986)] stands for the proposition that a statement on matters of public concern must be provable as false before there can be liability under state defamation law, at least in situations, like the present, where a media defendant is involved. (footnote omitted) Thus, unlike the statement, "In my opinion Mayor Jones is a liar," the statement, "In my opinion Mayor Jones shows his abysmal ignorance by accepting the teachings of Marx and Lenin," would not be actionable. Hepps ensures that a statement of opinion relating to matters of public concern which does not contain a provably false factual connotation will receive full constitutional protection (footnote omitted).

Next, the Bresler-Letter Carriers-Falwell [**13] line of cases provide protection of statements that cannot "reasonably (be) interpreted as stating actual facts" about an individual. Falwell, 485 U.S., at 50. This provides assurance that public debate will not suffer for lack of "imaginative expression" or the "rhetorical hyperbole" which has traditionally added much to the discourse of our Nation. See id., at 53-55.

The New York Times-Butts and Gertz culpability requirements further ensure that debate on public issues remains "uninhibited, robust, and wide-open," New York Times, 376 U.S., at 270. Thus, HN6where a statement of "opinion" on a matter of public concern reasonably implies false and defamatory facts regarding public figures or officials, those individuals must show that such statements were made with knowledge of their false implications or with reckless disregard of their truth. Similarly, where such a statement involves a private figure on a matter of public concern, a plaintiff must show that the false connotations were made with some level of fault as required by Gertz.

Milkovich, 110 S. Ct. at 2707. Thus, in the instant case [**14] assuming medical costs and insurance are a subject of public concern, which we concede they are, if the statements are capable of being proved false, they are not protected.

Florida Medical Center, Inc. v. New York Post Co., 568 So. 2d 454, 458 (Fla. App. , 1990)
Excerpted - click for full article ^
Source: http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/3d01-2472.pdf

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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: Florida; Click to Add Topic
KEYWORDS: LIBEL; TERRI; Click to Add Keyword

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If George Jones is still alive and John Smith has never even been in the same state as George, you can not post "John Smith killed George Jones" without subjecting yourself to a defamation action.

If George Jones is still alive but John Smith is purposefully seeking to have George's respirator turned off - and the case is widely reported in the news and all three branches of government have taken action on the issue - then you can post "John Smith is a murdering SOB" on a forum that notes on every page that all posts are opinions of the authors - without fear of losing any defamation claim.

<font

[kattracks]

This has been going on for 13 years. Why not allow therapy for 6 months out of those thirteen years?

[JennysCool]

Methinks Judge Greer has got some friends in the media who will be spinning his role in this thing like a top -- particularly with more and more questions being asked about Michael Schiavo's possible culpability in his wife's condition. While Blind Justice may be revered, Stupid Justice seldom is.

[kaylar]

I wonder if subconsciously , he's trying to prove that his own state of near-handicap doesn't make him "too sentimental" over questions of handicapped people's rights? If the things the nurses stated in their affadavits are true ("Why doesn't that bitch die?"), PLUS the questions regarding what MS said under oath (never mentioned Terri's wishes to die, said he'd care for her for life) versus how he behaved once the money was in his pocket (no therapy, DNR order) PLUS the questions regarding life insurance policies (which MS neither confirmed nor denied) then at the very least, MS's ability to be a fair guardian for his wife is questionable. And that's not even considering testimony and evidence re: physical abuse prior to Terri's mysterious 'collapse'.

[FollowingTheGrace]

Judge Greer is blind, so he cannot actually see Terri responding to her parents.

Not necessarily. My husband is legally blind, has not driven for 10 years, but has about 10 degrees of vision correctable to 20-25...he would be able to see the videos just fine. The designation "legally blind" doesn't always mean totally blind.

[Salvation]

No way does this judge qualify as compassionate or conservative!!!

A conservative judge would ALWAYS err on the side of life!

[Brilliant]

The rhetoric is off the charts, but on the other hand, I see no way that this judge could have concluded that the testimony of the husband that Terri would have wanted to die is "clear and convincing evidence" by itself. To me, it looks like the court just made a judgment that this woman's life is not worth living. That is a judgment that our courts are not authorized to make.

[ClancyJ]

Sorry, he is not doing the right thing or he would call for an independent medical review of Terri's condition rather than relying on heresay evidence to condemn her to death.

It takes a mighty cold judge to be able to defend a man trying to commit murder and ignore the fact that possibly Terri is not brain dead.

[Long Cut]

LOOK OUT!! With stories like this, people might start to see the judge as....human.

Doesn't sound at all like some folks here have been describing him, huh?

[kaylar]

I was legally blind till Sept '03, when I had lasik. Like your husband, my vision was correctable via contacts and glasses so that I could drive, read, etc.But the article says that Greer is unable to drive because of his vision, so obviously contacts and glasses won't fix his problem, and it is apparently inoperable. I wonder if Greer's condition isn't just poor vision (20/1000 vision is legal blindness) like your husband and my presurgery vision, but some other condition which far more severe than what we had/have????? Have no idea what it could be , but it sounds worse than, eg, my severe myopia and the resulting legal blindness.

[CedarDave]

A heart attack in 1990 left Terri Schiavo, now 39, in a persistently vegetative state and court-appointed doctors believe there is no hope of recovery. Greer ruled Michael Schiavo showed "clear and convincing" evidence his wife did not want to be kept alive artificially and permitted him to end her nourishment.

These two items are contradicted by the video which clearly shows her to be brain damaged, but not vegetative, and the belief by many that she could be taught to swallow if rehabilitation had not been denied by her husband. This whole case reeks of decaying slime and any objective observer who looks at the video or studies statements by her parents or her caregivers would conclude there is another side that is being ignored by the court and the press. With the unresolved issues of her condition being debated, why not err on the side of caution and let her live in the care of her willing and loving parents? It's obvious that national anti-life and media forces are determined to treat this innocent women with less compassion than they give a convicted, cold-blooded killer. A very sad commentary on the state of our society today.

[FollowingTheGrace]

To clarify, my husband has retinitis pigmentosa. He is gradually losing his vision and will probably eventually lose it all. He retains a visual field of about 10 degrees (normal is about 160-180). However, he can watch a video.

My point was that Judge Greer might be able to see well enough to view a video while being legally blind.

[kaylar]

That's a shame about your husband . :-( As for Greer, I dunno whether his case is comparable to your husband's : He can't drive, but presumably he can read legal papers , so CAN he watch a video? Probably if he can read ,he can get very close to the screen if he has to, so let's assume he can view the video : IF he chooses to. Since the videos were taken in defiance of the express orders of the quote unquote guardian MS, I wonder if they're even admissable????

[Politicalmom]

Were ALL of them prohibited? I thought just the last video that was released last week was prohibited.

[FollowingTheGrace]

Since the videos were taken in defiance of the express orders of the quote unquote guardian MS, I wonder if they're even admissable????

Is admissability (is that a word ;-) an issue here? I thought that only applied to criminal trials. I don't think there's a jury involved here...just a hearing in front of a judge. I too cannot understand the rulings in this case.

[longtermmemmory]

simple solution: make the transcript open to the public. Lets read the details of the actual testimony and see what was said.

[GodBlessUSA]

Wow, the Judge is Human. No kidding. Human garbage.
Terri is Human. The judge however, didn't consider that when he said ok starve and dehydrate her to death. He's going to have to do a lot more to convince people he is compassionate than have articles written about him. I don’t care how they try to portray this judge’s character. His decisions speak volumes. The Judge’s decisions show him as heartless. The judge never gave Terri any opportunity to have any therapy or to have another doctor examine her, other than the one her unfaithful husband bought in. Her unfaithful husband made sure she didn’t receive therapy by the hand of the judge. Her own Father and Mother can't even see Terri when they want to or be consulted as to her condition. You may not have a close family so you may not be able the grasp that concept of how much pain that inflicts on Terri’s family. The judge has shown himself to be one of the cruelest. The judge had an opportunity to make decisions that would have changed this entire situation. May his decisions haunt him for the rest of his life.

[ckca]

Doesn't sound at all like some folks here have been describing him, huh?

Nope, the Ministers of Propaganda in the Culture of Death mainstream media never paint proponents of their Culture of Death in a bad light, no matter how radical they are in trying to murder the innocent and defenseless.

[Route66]

'This has been going on for 13 years. Why not allow therapy for 6 months out of those thirteen years?'
.........................

There is not one good reason unless you simply do not want to give someone the chance to improve. The token therapy session granted by Judge Greer in the other case which was presented in this article in an attempt to show his compassion to the man's wife was really the same as allowing no therapy at all.

And notice here that the wishes of the spouse in this case were trumped by the rest of the family even though we have been treated to a barrage of comments in the Shiavo case about the rights of husbands and wives to make these decisions for one another.

Decisions like these are being made by judges all over the country. The truth is, this is about euthanasia and true believers and the daily judicial decisions that further the 'cause' of making it accepted in mainstream America....and it does appear to be working.

Forty years ago, you would have been hard pressed to find anyone who would think that providing water and food to the infirmed was extraordinary care. From recent polls, the concept of starving and dehydrating people to death has now been accepted by a good many of us as a 'compassionate' way to 'allow' death. The buzzwords abound, but if this horror constitutes 'death with dignity', you could sure fool me.

[kattracks]

... but presumably he can read legal papers...

This isn't necessarily so. He may have clerks who can do research and perhaps transcribe materials into audio tapes.

[kaylar]

I seem to recall reading here that MS and Felos were trying to get the video pulled from the internet because it was taken against MS's orders. Also, that they at least tried to keep the videos off the TV stations . If they did that, then I suppose they'd at least try to keep the tapes out of the court room, and it would be at Greer's discretion whether they'd be shown. Since Greer is bending over backwards for MS, I tthink I can guess what he's say if the Schindlers and their lawyer tried to get the videos shown. This case is horrible!

[kaylar]

I'm not sure. I thought I read that Felos was even trying to get the ISPs hosting terrisfight to pull the videos , because they're "illegal" as MS didn't give permission for them to be taken????

[kattracks]

BTW,Judge Greer allowed the one therapy session even though there was a living will in that case. He made an exceprion, which he doesn't seem to want to do in this case.

[T'wit]

>> "He is such a good and decent man...

The woman who said this has a glowing career ahead in stand-up comedy.

The liberals like to gloat that Michael Schiavo has "consistently" prevailed in court. That is Judge Greer at work. He has been consistently inhumane and cruel toward to a helpless, invalid woman who cannot fight back. Terri depends on this judge to protect her rights but he denies her medical care and orders her death.

So like the liberals to try to rehab this bastard's reputation. But his own works condemn him forever.

[livius]

They didn't mention the bit about Greer's wife being on the board of Felos' hospice, I note.

Besides, this article is like all those stupid feminist articles written about women "agonizing" over their abortions, but heroically going ahead and killing their baby after a few minutes of " agonizing." It's for the good of the baby, after all...the best thing she could do, right?

And this article about Greer is exactly the same kind of phoney baloney. Like the woman having the abortion, he had determined long ago what he was going to do about this and any such cases, and the "agonizing" enables him to salve his conscience and enchant the press.

[kaylar]

I have a question for any FR lawyers and/or life insurance company staff or management.

If it is true that MS has a life insurance policy on Terri that he will collect when she dies (something MS has refused to confirm or deny) has anything come to light in the media re:MS's abuse of Terri, as well as medical neglect, that could enable the life insurance company to refuse to pay up? I believe (eg)homeowner's insurance can refuse to pay up if there's suspicion of arson; is there a similar situation with life insurance?

[Kit]

The bottom line on Judge Greer is that his blindness doesn't matter one bit, and neither does the fact that he is widely considered to be a conservative, religious and conscientious good guy.

The bottom line on Greer is that he has refused to treat MS's conflict of interest and marital abandonment as any indication of an ulterior motive.

The fact that there IS NO WRITTEN STATEMENT from Terri herself makes all the questionable motive aspects of this case so absolutely compelling.

If there's something Greer knows that he ain't telling that makes him still think Terri ought to die, he sure ought to share it with her family. Otherwise, when in doubt, DON"T.

[litany_of_lies]

I would think that the life insurance company would AT A MINIMUM refuse to pay unless the body is NOT cremated and a full-blown autopsy performed.

They know ahead of time that they are facing a $400K-$800K claim, as I understand it. They should be working on this case before she dies, not after.

[ambrose]

thanks.

[ambrose]

ping

[Snykerz]

Greer turned down repeated requests from the Schindlers to order therapy for their daughter or to dismiss
Michael Schiavo as her guardian. Just this week, Greer set a hearing in November, nearly a year after the
Schindlers' last motion for a new guardian, to discuss that issue.

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[madprof98]

Nope, the Ministers of Propaganda in the Culture of Death mainstream media never paint proponents of their Culture of Death in a bad light, no matter how radical they are in trying to murder the innocent and defenseless.

Isn't Nancy Pelosi a "conservative Catholic"?

[Smocker]

I read he gave Felos free reign to speak in court without interruptions, and that the attorney, Ferrara for the Schindlers was interrupted constantly and practically not allowed to speak.

From what I have read, it seems to me that Greer is not impartial, or agonizing about squat. It seems he had his opinion formed, and was not willing to change his mind.


I think any judge in the nation that is willing to starve a brain damaged woman to death has a serious lack of respect for human life.

[tuckrdout]

I don't understand what a "probate" judge is doing handling the case?! Shouldn't it be a family services judge, or someone like that?

[Cicero]

First this article calls him a "conservative" and then it calls him a "moderate Republican." Well, I think we know what "moderate" means when used by a member of the media--it means a liberal, pro-abortion, pro-death Republican.

As for his being a Baptist, that's all very well, but so is bill clinton. And Teddy Kennedy is a Catholic. Such labels mean little or nothing without knowing what kind of Baptist he is.

As for these two cases, in the first instance the man made out a clear living will. Maybe they should have given acupuncture a few months to show its effects. I personally don't think anyone should be allowed to use a hospital to kill himself, but I can understand that the law would see it differently.

With Terri Schiavo there is no living will and basically no evidence but the husband's unsupported word that she wanted to be starved to death. This husband has considerably weakened his credibility by his actions--including not using the money he was awarded for his wife's attempted rehabilitation, its stated purpose.

Since death is irreversible, a prudent judge would never have acted as Greer did. He was obviously biased by his political views.

[MainFrame65]

Perhaps I am either misremembering or misinterpreting, but I seem to recall statements about this judge's demeanor in the courtroom with respect to the Schindlers, their lawyers, and their witnesses, that indicated a complete unwillingness to consider what they had to say.

The only "expert" testimony afforded a fair hearing was from experts chosen by the husband - and that is NOT a fair hearing.

Also, from what I have read here, all of Terri's indications of consciousness and responsiveness have been by way of physical reaction. If the judge is incapable of seeing such responses, HE IS INCAPABLE OF RENDERING JUDGEMENT, AND OUGHT TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THIS CASE. His failure to do so manifests gross judicial misconduct, and ought to be grounds for impeachment and REMOVAL.

There has been some discussion about the nature and extent of his visual impairment - specifically, can he read court documents? Reading is not enough. Computer technology today can easily magnify and enhance images to the point of displaying a single letter at a time on a giant screen, with contrast enhanced to any desired degree. Also, many text to voice systems (read aloud) are available, such as Dragon or IBM offer. But no amount of magnification or enhancement could show her following an object with her eyes.

He has failed to consider any position but the husband's, and ignored every indication of a conflict of interest on his part. Other, higher courts have NEVER been allowed to question his findings of "fact" (that are not fact), only Greer's legal determinations. A law that allows ONE MAN this kind of power over the very life or death of another ought to scare every one of us.

Terri Schindler ought to receive a course of therapy sufficiently long and intense to establish positively what her actual state of being is, whether she is capable of benefiting from further treatment, and whether she is, or can become, capable of making decisions about her further treatment. Making decisions about the "quality of life" of another human being is one of the foulest acts concievable. And Florida needs to make some permanent changes to its laws covering similar situations. It is one thing if all interested parties agree, but another where there is such stark disagreement, and no actual evidence of the wishes of the subject.

People can disagree, even with all the facts, but this judge has avoided or ignored too many facts to be considered fit to sit in judgement about what to have for dinner, much less whether another human being lives or dies.

[mvpel]

In the other case, there was clear and convincing evidence of the vegetative patient's wishes, unlike in the Schiavo case.

[Bonaparte]

In 2000, Gore only won Pinellas county by 50-46. Greer may not be bullet-proof.

[AbsoluteJustice]

OMG NO COULD IT BE!!!???

Could it be that this judge has been conservative all his life ?? Oh no it's a blow to all those so called lock step sheeples.

[tessalu]

Judge Greer is NO King Solomon. I wonder if the truth were known, if he would like to die in the manner that he perscribed for Terri Schiavo? I could never have any confidence in this man, for any reason!

[EternalVigilance]

Perhaps you could put in for sainthood for your beloved judge?

Apparently this elected politician has the spinmeisters ready to help in the campaign; and obviously there are folks in the press who will be glad to assist.

[EternalVigilance]

You gonna have a party if and when they succeed in killing her?

[Ethan_Allen]

"The only "expert" testimony afforded a fair hearing was from experts chosen by the husband - and that is NOT a fair hearing.

Also, from what I have read here, all of Terri's indications of consciousness and responsiveness have been by way of physical reaction. If the judge is incapable of seeing such responses, HE IS INCAPABLE OF RENDERING JUDGEMENT, AND OUGHT TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM THIS CASE. His failure to do so manifests gross judicial misconduct, and ought to be grounds for impeachment and REMOVAL. "
___________________________________________________________

Theodore:
This just reminded me of another thing I ran across in my reading of the statutes! I'm posting exactly as I wrote it on my other page:

744.3725 Procedure for extraordinary authority.--Before the [KANGAROO] court may grant authority to a guardian to exercise any of the rights specified in s. 744.3215(4), THE [KANGAROO] COURT MUST:.......

(1) Appoint an independent attorney to act on the incapacitated person's behalf, and the attorney must have the opportunity to meet with the person and to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses at any hearing on the petition for authority to act;

(2) Receive as evidence independent medical, psychological, and social evaluations with respect to the incapacitated person by competent professionals or appoint its own experts to assist in the evaluations;

(3) PERSONALLY MEET WITH THE INCAPACITATED PERSON to obtain its own impression of the person's capacity, so as to afford the incapacitated person the full opportunity to express his or her personal views or desires with respect to the judicial proceeding and issue before the court; ******[OH MY GOSH!!! PAGE THE FREEPER WHO IS ALWAYS SAYING, 'JUDGE GREER, YOU SHOULD HAVE LOOKED INTO TERRI'S EYES AND ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO EAT'!!!!]

(4) Find by clear and convincing evidence that the person lacks the capacity to make a decision about the issue before the court and that the incapacitated person's capacity is not likely to change in the foreseeable future;

(5) Be persuaded by clear and convincing evidence that the authority being requested is in the best interests of the incapacitated person; and.....

__________________________________________________________

****AGAIN.

*****(3) PERSONALLY MEET WITH THE INCAPACITATED PERSON to obtain its own impression of the person's capacity, so as to afford the incapacitated person the full opportunity to express his or her personal views or desires with respect to the judicial proceeding and issue before the court; ******[OH MY GOSH!!! PAGE THE FREEPER WHO IS ALWAYS SAYING, 'JUDGE GREER, YOU SHOULD HAVE LOOKED INTO TERRI'S EYES AND ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO EAT'!!!!]

NOW I'M HEARING THE KANGAROO COURT IS LEGALLY BLIND!!?? CAN THIS CASE GET ANY MORE WEIRD???

[Ethan_Allen]

BUMP!

[First_Salute]

"the court just made a judgment that this woman's life is not worth living"

Yep; you probably have estimated well.

[First_Salute]

Bump.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

They didn't mention the bit about Greer's wife being on the board of Felos' hospice, I note.

You have got to be kidding!

Wow! The judge's wife is on the board of the hospice run by the lawyer who is trying to have one of the residents starved to death at the request of her husband has two children by his new girl friend...

Is it just me or does this sound like a made-for-TV movie?

[Graymatter]

YOUR HONOR:

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.


(Freepers, excuse the caps. He has poor vision.)