Was there "judicial interference" regarding Judge Greer in the Terri Schiavo case?

[madfloridian]

Looking back at some records I kept it looks like there might have been. Judge Greer left his Southern Baptist church over the Schiavo case.

I wrote about this in 2005, and I found the transcript with Donna Brazile and a lady named Lafferty. The Lafferty person accused Greer of being out of control.

Kudos to Donna Brazile on this interview. This is a shocker

Here are the people involved.

CROSSFIRE, Democratic strategist Vic Kamber and Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition.

CNN Transcript May 2005

BRAZILE: Well, Andrea, this is an opportunity to demonstrate that this is much larger than politics. Some people are also saying that the Republicans and the conservatives, like your organization, you're using this to undermine the American judiciary. Where do you stand on that?

LAFFERTY: No.

BRAZILE: Are you using this case to undermine federal judges, as well as state judges? Clearly, there is a campaign now against Judge Greer.

(CROSSTALK)

LAFFERTY: Greer acted on his own.

(CROSSTALK) BRAZILE: A conservative Republican, a regular churchgoer. By every definition of the word, he's no liberal. So why are you going after the judges?

LAFFERTY: I don't know what church he goes -- I don't know anything about what church he goes to. This is an example of a judiciary out of control. And we are here trying to save a life. And it's exposing the judicial system.

And my family always got the Florida Baptist Witness by mail. I found more about this issue in that magazine.

Judge in Schiavo case withdraws membership from church.

Smith also told Baptist Press, “It appears that Judge Greer has chosen to remove himself from the loving care of a biblically sound church rather than to submit to the biblical obligation to exercise his public duties in a manner that is consistent with his Christian faith. This is regrettable for Judge Greer because he could not be better served than to be under the teaching of Dr. Rice.

“Dr. Rice is to be commended for his courageous defense of Terri Schiavo in spite of the difficult circumstances related to his now-former church member’s involvement,” Smith said. “I believe that other Southern Baptist churches would be well-served to follow the model of Dr. Rice in the manner in which he has dealt with this difficult situation.”

"Exercise his public duties in a manner that is consistent with his Christian faith."??

Yes, I would call that judicial pressure.

In other words, ask those who differ to leave? And called them part of a judiciary out of control? Because they did not go along with the insane mindless Schiavo episode.

Donna Brazile got a couple more bits in on Lafferty. She did a good job.

BRAZILE: But, Andrea, do you see a contradiction, traditional conservatives, who in the past condemned judicial activism, and now being confronted with evangelicals and others urging judges to act and to get involved in cases like this? How will you resolve this matter?

LAFFERTY: Asking judges to be involved. We believe that, again, there needs to be a new trial. I am here. I am a Christian first. I'm a conservative second. And we need to show compassion for a woman. In the United States of America, in the 21st century, we should not be starving someone to death.

Donna tells her they are setting a dangerous precedent.

LAFFERTY: And the president -- the Congress and the president have acted because they -- it is what they're supposed to do to protect citizens, to protect life. This has nothing to do with politics.

BRAZILE: They set a dangerous precedent of undermining local courts, when there has been 19 different trials.

Seems like they were after conscientious judges even back then. That was two years ago, and look how much longer it has taken to find out more.

[madfloridian]

1. More about Judge Greer and his life after Schiavo.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/06/Tampabay/Quiet_judge_persists_.shtml

"CLEARWATER - Some of the hundreds of e-mails and letters he gets call him a "murderer."

"Are you related to (Josef) Mengele, or just a student?" one man wrote, referring to the ruthless Nazi doctor.

An indignant woman who believed his decisions weren't Christian once called and asked if he thought he was going to heaven. Deputies who fear for his safety escort him to and from work."

..."And Greer, vilified by many religious protesters, is a church regular. He also is a conservative Republican in a state whose conservative Republican governor tried to overturn one of Greer's orders.

"George is the religious right," said lawyer David Kurland, a longtime friend.

Friends say Greer's intellect is perfectly formed to withstand the very tempest he now faces. Always calm, not prone to mood swings or flares of temper, unerringly polite, he is not easily ruffled, they say. But the criticisms sting, friends say. "

One interesting thing, he was a roommate with Jim Morrison of the Doors at FSU. He spoke of it in an interesting way.

[Dr.Phool]

2. Greer was tossed out of his church over Shiavo case.

He spoke at a West Pasco Democratic Club judicial forum in 2004. He sounded like a very conservative judge then. He won re-election by a large margin, even while the Shiavo case was pending.

The stunner, later on, was when it was revealed that his college room-mate, at the University of Florida, was Jim Morrison of The Doors.

[madfloridian]

3. The pastor knows letters to Greer might have to be made public later....

If it is later considered "court-related" corresponce. They pressured him to leave because he did not go along with their religious views. And I have seen no dot-connecting at all. Yes, I heard he was very conservative.

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/4059.article

"The pastor said he prefers not to release the correspondence with Greer, viewing it as “a private communiqué between him and his pastor.” Rice said he sent copies of his letter to Greer both at home and at the courthouse and realizes the letter might be made public if deemed to be court-related correspondence.

Rice said he has informed the church’s deacons via e-mail of Greer’s withdrawal of his membership."

[madfloridian]

7. Did you see the petition that was up at Free Republic to impeach Greer?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1351814/posts

The thread is still there from 2005, and it is alarming. No one on our side really spoke out then about what they were doing to him, now we find we still don't know how many judges were being undermined for doing their jobs.

[malaise]

4. Justice O'Conner had a lot to say about these Rethugs

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Retired_Supreme_Court_Justice_hits_attacks_0310.html

[madfloridian]

5. Look how the GOP candidates are appealing to that same bunch...

they stand up in a debate and mostly endorse torture...and get applause for it. Anyone who said sensible stuff got crickets chirping. The more outrageous and bullying the more cheering.


They will keep doing it until one of them wins the primary...

[malaise]

6. Yep

Frightening and no one calls them on it.

[Dr.Phool]

8. Watch the sparks fly in the 3rd District Senate race.

The repukes in the primary are trying to out wing-nut each other. One (Corcoran) already dropped out because the mail and phone campaign was getting so nasty. And he had almost $200k in the bank, signs all over the place and billboards on US 19.

Dennis Baxley, who really pushed the whole Shiavo fiasco in the Florida House is in the running, along with Charlie Dean and a timber industry exec.

On the Dem side, we have Suzan Franks running against a minor opponent in the primary, and she should beat him easily. She's a former N.H. State Legislator and was the Press Secretary for the John Russell campaign.

I'm working for her.

www.suzanfranks.com

[madfloridian]

9. I will check her site out....Dennis Baxley is very bad news and needs to go.

He has been in the middle of everything weird here. The Castle Doctrine bill, the bill to stifle professors, and I think part of the push to teach only Creationism.

Good luck on the campaign. Our candidate is well entrenched, so I might send some her way.

[madfloridian]

10. Free Republic is still after Judge Greer. They never forgive nor give up.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1835425/posts

Terri Schiavo Judge Will Speak at Florida Bar's Media Law Conference

This just alarms me. They are giving contact info for the media. They do not forgive, they do not give up.

"Despite Greer's condemning Terri to a painful 13-day starvation and dehydration death, Greer was also a featured speaker at Loyola Law School Los Angeles last June. There, Greer instructed members of the mainstream media in how to report on significant legal stories like the battle over Terri's life.

Journalists from CNN, CBS News, ABC News Radio, Bloomberg WNBC, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Daily News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution attended the conference.

ACTION: Send you complaints on Judge Greer's appearance to, The Florida Bar, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300, [phone] or [e-mail]. Also contact the Stetson of Conferences and Events at [phone] or [e-mail]"