Well - lets just boil this down to simple terms that those who are not attorneys can understand. Lets say that one document - Ex: MS's Statement says "I heard Terri say she wouldn't want to live like that".... Then 5 or 6 other documents say "I've known Terri all my life - during the Quinlin decision - she stated "While there is life, there is hope"..... etc.
Would the appeals court judge look at the MS statement and the other statements and decided which seemed most credible? OR would he assume that first judge had them in person - therefore could determine credibility - and they only looked to procedural errors Judge Greer may have made????
"Well - lets just boil this down to simple terms that those who are not attorneys can understand."
You cannot "boil it down to simple terms". It is a judicial process and there is generally nothing simple about it.
"OR would he assume that first judge had them in person - therefore could determine credibility"
No Judge will "assume" anything. I am not even sure how to assess your comparison other than to say WHAT?
The appeals judge will look at what is written in the ruling. I have only heard the ruling, therefore I cannot attest. However, if in the ruling, it states both of the statements you refer to, then surely the appeals judges will evaluate and review them both. I am not sure if you were just using an example or if you actually think that your "simple terms" post is reality.