UPDATE: Progress Reported in Legislative Impasse

I am getting updates from Florida where Drew Ryun, our Director of Governmental Affairs, is meeting with Florida lawmakers concerning legislation to save Terri Schiavo.  As I reported earlier, efforts were underway to break the impasse in the House and Senate over competing measures.  Drew has been meeting this afternoon with State Senator Dan Webster and Rep. David Simmons, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.  I am being told that efforts are moving in the right direction and that issues between the two chambers are on the way to being resolved.  I am still hopeful that a bill can make it out of the legislature by tomorrow and signed into law by Governor Bush.  I want to make sure a bill is passed that survives a constitutional challenge.  A legal challenge is certain to come immediately once the measure is signed into law.  I am working with Walter Weber in our Washington office on the legal filings we will need to defend the Florida law. 

On the legal front, a Florida appeals court this afternoon rejected an appeal by Terri's parents.  The appeals court rejected a request to extend the stay beyond Friday at 1:00pm ET when Terri's feeding and hydration tube has been ordered to be removed.  Florida attorney David Gibbs and his legal team are doing all they can on the legal front right now.

I ask that you continue to pray for Terri, her family and the attorneys working on this case.  I also encourage you to add your name to our petition of support for Terri - if you haven't done so already.  More than 35,000 people have already added their names and that information is being provided to the leadership in the Florida legislature.   I will post additional information as it becomes available in the trial notebook area of our website.  You can be sure to get the latest information on my radio program tomorrow - Jay Sekulow Live!