BREAKING NEWS ~ Federal judge refuses to order re-insertion of Schiavo feeding tube News
BREAKING NEWS ~ Federal judge refuses to order re-insertion of Schiavo feeding tube

[JURIST] CBS WTSP-TV 10 in Tampa is reporting that US District Judge James Whittemore has refused to order the re-insertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, saying that the brain-damaged Florida woman's parents had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial on the merits of their arguments.

7:40 AM ET – Read Judge Whittemore's 13-page order [PDF] refusing the temporary injunction requested in the Schindlers' complaint [PDF], courtesy Florida attorney Mark Conigliaro's Abstract Appeal weblog.

10:45 AM ET – Abstract Appeal has posted a convenient summary of Judge Whittemore's ruling. Terri Schiavo's parents have already filed an appeal [AP report] with the US Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals [official website] in Atlanta.

For additional background and materials, see JURIST's Terri Schiavo news archive.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.