Judge no to appeal on feeding tube

The tube was disconnected on Friday on the orders of a state judge. ‘‘This court appreciates the gravity of the consequences of denying injunctive relief,’’ Whittemore said in a 13-page ruling. But he said Schiavo’s ‘‘life and liberty interests’’ had been adequately protected by Florida state courts, and despite ‘‘these difficult and time strained circumstances’’ the court was constrained ‘‘to apply the law to the issue before it.’’

A lawyer representing Schiavo’s parents, George E. Tragos, said the ruling would be appealed to the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Tuesday, ‘‘and we expect to be successful.’’ Tragos said he thought a decision from the court would come ‘‘a couple of hours’’ after it was presented, and that Schiavo would be returned to the tube ‘‘to be fed and rehydrated.’’

Whittemore also expressed doubts about whether a federal review could change the ultimate outcome and seemed skeptical of the parents’ contention that the state courts had violated Schiavo’s right to due process. —NYT