NYT: Bush I-Appointed Judge Rules Terri's Law Unconstitutional!!

[stopbush]

Bush and Congress Rebuked in Schiavo Case
By ABBY GOODNOUGH and WILLIAM YARDLEY

Published: March 31, 2005

PINELLAS PARK, Fla., March 30 - A federal appeals court in Atlanta refused Wednesday to reconsider the case of Terri Schiavo, with one of the judges rebuking President Bush and Congress for acting "in a manner demonstrably at odds with our founding fathers' blueprint for the governance of a free people."

The 11th Circuit court's decision, signed by Chief Judge J. L. Edmondson, was only a sentence long. But in a concurring opinion, Judge Stanley F. Birch Jr., appointed by the first President Bush in 1990, wrote that federal courts had no jurisdiction in the case and that the law enacted by Congress and President Bush allowing the Schindlers to seek a federal court review was unconstitutional.

"When the fervor of political passions moves the executive and legislative branches to act in ways inimical to basic constitutional principles, it is the duty of the judiciary to intervene," wrote Judge Birch, who has a reputation as consistently conservative. "If sacrifices to the independence of the judiciary are permitted today, precedent is established for the constitutional transgressions of tomorrow."

In particular, Judge Birch wrote, a provision of the new law requiring a fresh federal review of all the evidence presented in the case made it unconstitutional. Because that provision constitutes "legislative dictation of how a federal court should exercise its judicial functions," he wrote, it "invades the province of the judiciary and violates the separation of powers principle."

http://nytimes.com/2005/03/31/national/31schiavo.html?hp&ex=1112245200&en=33cca3d58799eb6a&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Kurovski]

1. Very important statement by a very conservative judge.

[Straight Shooter]

2. "The fervor of political passions"

A euphemism for ideology gone mad.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Those damn activist judges. heh heh heh heh

[Selteri]

4. I'm damn glad he's on the ball in this ruling. :) You don't have to agree

with judges, that's why they're judges.

[tofubo]

5. the 3rd branch is next

remember, it's not that the congress acted in an unconstitutional manner, it's that the judiciary had the audacity to call them on it
let the onslaught on the judiciary commence, j sekulow and m levin to lob the ceremonial 1st low blow

[reprehensor]

6. Wow. It's about time.

Wake up Conservatives, you have lost control of your party to neocons and Christianoids. (Not to be confused with Christians.)