Posted on 03/18/2005 4:32:07 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay pledged Friday to hold Florida state judge George Greer in contempt of Congress for ignoring a congressional subpoena for Terri Schiavo's testimony, saying, "No little judge sitting in a state district court in Florida is going to usurp the authority of Congress."
"The Congress will pursue this, if we have to hold him in contempt of Congress," DeLay told radio host Sean Hannity.
Pressed on whether he intended to hold Judge Greer in contempt, the top Republican told Hannity: "Absolutely, absolutely."
"We will do everything to enforce the power and authority of the Congress and no little judge sitting in a state district court in Florida is going to usurp the authority of Congress," he added.
Earlier in the day Judge Greer rebuffed the Schiavo subpoena, telling attorneys in the case, "I have had no cogent reason why the [congressional] committee should intervene." He claimed that the last-minute action on the part of Congress does not nullify years of legal proceedings.
But DeLay told Hannity, "This judge and the Supreme Court of Florida are well known to be liberal judges that have a different worldview and they're imposing their worldview on the law."
The top House leader said that "no sane person" could look at Schiavo and say she's in a persistent vegetative state.
DeLay called a lawyer for Michael Schiavo, who has pressed for years to have his wife starved to death, "the personification of evil."
this is not a states rights issue, so we don't know any such thing.
You remind me of Thomas More's future son-in-law in "A Man for all Seasons," who said he would strike down every law, if it meant getting the devil himself.
You remember what Paul Scofield, as Thomas More, said?
"And, when the devil turned round on you, all the laws being flat, where would you seek refuge then?"
I find your support of state courts assuming powers not assigned to them disgusting, unconstitutional and anything but "conservative".
MRS has already ordered that there be no funeral. He will even prevent the Schinlders from holding a "memorial service." People in FL just don't understand.
Clinton had a Federal Court ruling on his side.
"On what legal grounds does the President send in Federal Marshalls? If he is challenged in court, and loses (which he would), what then?"
He's the commander in chief and has the army, navy, marines, air force behind him. That's enough legal ground for moi. If not, send in the people.
"Hammer of the Gods" is a good name for their judicial decrees."
Only a slight correction "Hammer of the 'gods'. Cause like everybody else they too will get their day of accounting.
According to the Florida Superior Courts who decides if Terri Schiavo lives or dies?
And where do they derive that power?
If you don't know off the top of your head then you are a fool Deacon.
But drama nonetheless.
Thats all you'll see from the Republicans for the next 4 years is TALK!
All of them I would guess.
It's the same CABAL that wants the law to be whatever they need on any given day, just like the Red Queen.
Consistency be damned.
So9
Poor Judge Moore got railroaded out of his job. Judge Greer will probably be awarded a seat on the Supreme Court if Mrs. Clinton gets her large tush in the oval office.
Funny how all the people advocating that our "leaders" violate the law are unwilling to do so themselves.
---Are you saying federal courts don't have authority - and responsibility - to protect people who are people denied their federal constitutional rights? If that's what you believe, you'll get an argument from the Constitution - 14th Amendment, to be specific. The black kids who were allowed to go to school in the south because federal courts stepped in, might also argue with you. What we have in the Schiavo case is a similar situation - a backwater Southern local judge and his good-ole-boy network denying a disabled woman her constitutional right not to have her life taken without due process. There is no clear evidence that she would want to be starved - only flimsy hearsay testamony about a casual remark about a TV show years ago - yet the localyokel judge is basing his whole decision to starve her on that flimsy hearsay. That's a denial of constitutional due process if there ever was one. The federal courts have a responsibility to protect her as much as they had a responsibility to protect the victims of Southern "states rights" segregationists.
Well, some states have the death penalty and some don't. So that should answer your question as to whether states have the rights to make their own laws.
The states have the right to set up their own judicial system. All of them have separate branches of government. If a state court believes that the federal government has no jurisdiction or constitutional authority to impose in a matter, they absolutely have a right to rule that way.
It's subject to being overturned later, of course, but it's not anything that is an affront to the US constitution. Anyone who thinks the US Constitution gives unlimited power to the US Congress to do anything it wants is a Democrat or worse.
It is for Terri, certainly. The 'cure' for her 'medical ailments' - is death, and a gruesome death. It seems Delay did the right thing. He was IGNORED by Greer. But the irony is that Greer expected people NOT to ignore him. And how does that follow? Given Greer's own behavior, where's Jeb? I have to wonder why Jeb isn't busy ignoring - Judge Greer. That feeding tube should be back in, if it takes all of the national guard to do it, and every white mini-van they own. You know, I got tossed off a thread for suggesting 'W' might have some responsibility in this. And I had to wonder that other 'freepers' are not necessarily on Terri's side. It's chilling. But of course, I don't know why I would have assumed all were. With the success of conservativism, it's now a 'big tent'. But to call yourself conservative and yawn at what is happening to Terri is something I just can't see.
"Boy those 10 Commandments sure do get under some people's skin."
yas, those "thou shalt not" thingies. They certainly are inconvenient aren't they. Wasn't there one about not murdering someone? I'm not sure...
Same questions for you. Who will decide if TS lives or dies and where do they derive that power?
Federal Marshalls can arrest the judge if he is found in contempt by the House.
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