Request to meet with the guardian ad litem of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo prompts questions from lawyers and legal experts.
BY TERE FIGUERAS
Miami Herald
Gov. Jeb Bush has asked to meet with Terri Schiavo's new court-appointed guardian, saying he wants to express his concerns in person and assist the medical expert in ''determining the scope'' of his review of the brain-damaged woman's case.
Bush sent his letter Thursday to University of South Florida professor Jay Wolfson, the guardian ad litem for Schiavo, a 39-year-old woman who has been in a vegetative state since a 1990 heart attack.
The request prompted questions from lawyers for Schiavo's husband, who has been locked in a bitter legal battle with his in-laws.
Michael Schiavo says his wife did not want to be kept alive by artificial means. Her parents say she may still recover.
''This is the latest example of the governor's intrusion into this case. I find it very inappropriate,'' said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, which recently joined Michael Schiavo's legal team.
On Oct. 21, six days after Michael Schiavo had his wife's feeding tube removed with the court's approval, Bush used a new state law -- known as ''Terri's Law'' -- to have the tube reinserted.
Bush, speaking with The Herald on Thursday, said his request to speak with Wolfson before Wolfson issues his recommendations to the governor and the court was not inappropriate and would not interfere with Wolfson's investigation.
''What the judge asked the guardian to do is make a determination based on some very specific facts,'' Bush said. To make a final decision on Terri Schiavo's fate, he said, ``I need to have a larger set of facts to explore and so I want to talk to him about it.''
University of Miami law professor Bernard Perlmutter said the request undermines the guardian ad litem's role.
''It's inappropriate and improper,'' said Perlmutter, director of the law school's Children and Youth Law Clinic.
``Courts don't make decisions behind closed doors. It seriously questions the legitimacy of the process if there's even the appearance that the governor is using the power he wields to influence the findings of this highly qualified individual.''
Wolfson, for his part, declined to say if he would accept the governor's invitation.
Herald staff writer Lesley Clark contributed to this report.
The Miami Herald | 11/07/2003 | Gov. Bush asks to meet guardian
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