Federal Judge Sides With State Rulings

From Associated Press via Seattle Times (no registration required)

TAMPA, Fla. — A federal judge today refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, denying an emergency request from the brain-damaged woman's parents. The parents' lawyer quickly filed a notice of appeal, and the woman's husband also filed new court documents....

The judge said the 41-year-old woman's parents had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial on the merits of their arguments...

Felos also told the judges he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if the tube is ordered reconnected on a temporary basis.

In his early morning ruling, Whittemore wrote that Schiavo's "life and liberty interests" had been protected by Florida courts. Despite "these difficult and time strained circumstances," he wrote, "this court is constrained to apply the law to the issues before it."