Congress 'Plays Politics' in Terri Schiavo Case: Vanderbilt Expert

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Calling congressional action in the Terri Schiavo case "purely political" with no legal basis, Stefanie Lindquist, Vanderbilt University associate professor of political science and law, says she is not surprised by a federal judge's ruling to deny the request to reinsert Schiavo's feeding tube. Congress passed a private bill to grant jurisdiction to the federal courts in this controversial case, and a Florida federal judge ruled against the parents' request to reinstate the feeding tube. Lindquist says 19 judges in Florida have spoken on this case and that to argue that "due process" has not been achieved just doesn't work. "Due process requires that a party be provided with notice and a meaningful hearing prior to any deprivation of life or liberty, both of which are implicated here," Lindquist says. "In Schiavo's case, the Florida courts' careful and lengthy proceedings -- in which multiple doctors testified, in which Schiavo's legal interests were amply protected by the parents' avid representation and by the three guardians appointed to represent her interests, and in which avenues of appeal were available -- clearly satisfied her due process rights."

Lindquist, an expert on judicial politics and public law, has written numerous articles and papers on the U.S Court of Appeals including one on "Congressional Responses to Federal Circuit Court Decisions." She also studies the Supreme Court, in particular the Supreme Court under Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Media can contact Lindquist at stefanie.lindquist(At)vanderbilt.edu or call 615-322-2706, a 24/7 number.

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Congress 'Plays Politics' in Terri Schiavo Case: Vanderbilt Expert

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