The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that Bush's attorneys will be allowed to question witnesses in the court battle over a law that gave the governor authority to reinsert Terri Schiavo's feeding tube after her husband had it removed in October.

If one accepted the argument of Mr. Schiavo's counsel that those facts were not properly the subject of discovery in the declaratory judgment action because they had already been finally adjudicated in the guardianship proceeding, it is arguable that taking depositions to inquire into such matters could be unduly burdensome, annoying, or oppressive. On the other hand, if one accepted the position of the Governor's counsel that the Governor is not bound by the adjudicated facts in the guardianship proceeding, it is arguable that the Governor could be denied his right to pursue discovery he believes is necessary for him to support his defense of the constitutionality of the statute.

The judge, on the judge's own motion or on affidavit of any person having knowledge of the facts, may issue and sign an order directed to the defendant, stating the essential facts constituting the criminal contempt charged and requiring the defendant to appear before the court to show cause why the defendant should not be held in contempt of court.

Except in capital cases in which execution has been scheduled, a motion will be treated as an emergency motion only when both of the following conditions are present:
1. The motion will be moot unless a ruling is obtained within seven calendar days; and
2. If the order sought to be reviewed is a district court order or action, the motion is being filed within seven calendar days of the filing of the district court order or action sought to be reviewed.

I know that something similar like this was used to get to get Governor Bush involved in the Terri Schiavo case. Now, it appears they are going about it on a different route. Would a petition of this sort carry any weight into impeaching Judge Greer? and would you care to comment on any of the 30+ transgressions?

www.petitiononline.com/ijg520/petition.html

I will comment on how sad that petition is. Judge Greer is an honorable public servant who does not deserve such treatment.

Our judicial system utilizes a system of checks through the appellate process, and the bottom line is that Judge Greer's rulings have been repeatedly affirmed on appeal. Most of what I see in that list I do not think the Schindlers have argued in court, let alone on appeal, which says much about the merits of those allegations.

Some of those allegations are so legally baseless that they are amusing.

As for the points in the list that the Schindlers have previously raised on appeal, those arguments have been rejected, which definitively resolves their merits as nonexistent. In that sense, the petition may just as well name the Second District judges who affirmed Judge Greer's decisions and the Florida Supreme Court justices who found the Second District's decisions not to be in conflict with prior precedent. Judge Greer has not been a lone wolf here -- he has made his decisions, and all sides have had, and will continue to have, every chance to challenge his findings and conclusions on appeal.

I suppose the people who authored that petition and who support it are comforted by their actions, but that does not make their allegations of error and misconduct correct. I wonder if any of those persons has a law degree, with the education and training to opine on what constitutes a violation of the law or the canons of judicial conduct. I suspect I know the answer.

I understand your comment about Governor Bush, but he did not become involved in this case because of anything similar. He became involved because numerous persons asked him to do something, and he responded to those requests by advancing the bill that eventually became "Terri's Law." I have never heard Governor Bush state that Judge Greer has violated the law or the canons of judicial conduct in any way.

To answer your question about whether this will carry any weight, I am confident the answer is no. None whatsoever.

Let me clarify that all this does not mean that I believe Judge Greer has been correct in every decision he's made in this case. What it means is that his decisions have thus far been determined by higher courts to be consistent with the law of Florida. Attacking him -- with a petition for impeachment, no less -- is simply absurd.

How very sad. Thanks for sharing it with me, though. It's good to be aware of what's going on, even if it's depressing to hear.

Impeachment is a harsh and constitutionally important matter. It is intended to be a remedy for misconduct, not for mistakes in legal decisions or for having an unpopular philosophy. Legal mistakes or misjudgments should be corrected through the appellate process, and under no circumstances should a judge be impeached based on legal rulings that have been affirmed. Since our trial judges in Florida are elected, personality issues or philosophical concerns can be addressed at the ballot box.