WASHINGTON —  Amid a slew of court decisions and committee hearings to decide the fate of Terri Schiavo, there are several key players:

Terri Schiavo: 41-year-old Florida woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years after her heart stopped because of a chemical imbalance.

Michael Schiavo: Husband of Terri, who has waged years-long court battles to have Terri's feeding tube removed, contending that she would not want to live in such a state.

Bob Schindler: Father of Terri, who has battled Michael over the removal of the tube and thinks Terri could get better with treatment.

Judge George Greer: Pinellas Circuit Court judge who has ruled that Schiavo's feeding tube can be removed.

Judge David Demers: Pinellas Circuit Court Chief chief judge who ordered the tube to remain in place at the time the stay was to expire.

Tom DeLay, R-Texas: The House Majority Leader who, along with other lawmakers, spoke out on Terri's behalf, urging the court to change its ruling so Schiavo and family members could appear before their committee.

Gov. Jeb Bush: Bush strongly urged the Legislature to pass a bill that would save Schiavo, as it did in 2003. That law allowed Bush to order doctors to restore Schiavo's feeding tube six days after it had been removed. But that law was later declared unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court.