That being said, under the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure, the Schindlers could've gotten a jury trial if they had properly asked for one. Do you know whether they asked for one at all? Yeah, I figured you didn't.
That's all academic, though - the "falsehood" I referenced - the one that some people might read on the internet and believe - is the Terri Schiavo did not "have the benefit of a trial" - it didn't say anything about a jury trial. I really do wish that those people who understand something about how the internet works would recognize that there is a responsibility that attaches to publishing a statement in cyberspace - because others might read it and attach some truth to it. Truth that may have been entirely absent from the statement up to that time. That's probably even more likely when the publisher is one who commands a certain amount of respect and authority in cyberspace.
You are correct. She got a trial & she, er "won". That said, where did the judge get the authority to make it criminal to give her anything by mouth?
If you want Americans to have respect for and obey the law then the legal system has to have two things happen.
1) the process must be seen as fair.
2) The outcome must resemble justice
the process was completely unfair to Terri and those advocating for her
The outcome, death by starvation, bore no resemblance to American Justice but looked to a lot of us like justice in Nazi Germany.
So you can make all the clever argument you like but the bottom line is that if the courts keep this crap up, the entire nation will just say screw the law and screw the courts too.
Are you sure? Even in Florida, Probate Court follows the Rules of Domestic Relations Procedure, not the Rules of Civil Procedure.