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GARY NURENBERG, CNN REPORTER: The lengthy court battle over whether to withhold life support from a comatose Teri Schiavo angered many on each side and helped highlight growing discontent with the judicial process. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor tells CNN that, in recent years, she sensed...
RETIRED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR: Unhappiness with judges, and it was erupting all over the country.
NURENBERG: The president taps into that frustration on the campaign trail.
U.S. PRESIDENT GORGE W. BUSH: If you think activist judges should be allowed to redefine our country and issue new laws from the bench, vote Democrat.
NURENBERG: This year, voters in several western states face ballot initiatives that would limit judges actions.
Quick Guide & Transcript: Special Edition - America Votes 2006
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Sandra Day O'Conner. A sad reminder that even Ronald Reagan made big mistakes now and then.
The clarification is from your link.
THE TERRI SCHIAVO CASE continues to take dramatic twists and turns. Even as Michael Schiavo attempts to have Terri's Law declared unconstitutional, pursuant to the law's requirements, a judge has appointed a guardian ad litem--Professor Jay Wolfson, of the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida in Tampa--to represent Terri's interests.
There has been some confusion as to whether Wolfson replaces Terri's quasi-estranged husband Michael Schiavo as guardian of Terri's person. (I use the term "quasi-estranged" because Schiavo effectively shattered the sanctity their marriage years ago by entering a committed relationship with another woman and starting a family with her.) He does not. Wolfson's sole responsibilities are to determine whether Terri should be allowed a swallow test, whether she should be provided rehabilitation, and to write a report with his recommendations about these matters--all within 30 days. In the meantime, Schiavo remains fully in control over Terri' life and care (or the lack thereof)--with the exception that he cannot, for now, remove her tube-supplied food and water.
A little known but interesting facet of this case is that Wolfson is not the first guardian ad litem appointed to represent Terri's interests. When Schiavo first petitioned the court for permission to dehydrate his wife in 1998, he properly admitted that he had two significant conflicts of interest: He was likely to want to remarry and if Terri died, he would inherit the more than $700,000 then on deposit in her trust account. (For those who have not followed this case, Terri received the money in a medical malpractice lawsuit.)
Because of these conflicts of interest, the Probate Court appointed Richard L. Pearse Jr. of Clearwater, Florida, as Terri's guardian ad litem and instructed him to investigate the matter and report back with a recommendation. Pearse filed his report with the court on December 28, 1998 urging that the court deny the petition to remove Terri's food and water.
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