I must admit that I am thoroughly and completely bamboozled
regarding Judge Greer's authority.
It appears that Greer is Probate Judge... which is to say, he has
authority to oversee the distribution of my late Gramma's china
and silverware, etc.
However... from where and how does he have the power and
uthority to prevent a poor dying woman from taking a sip of
water ???????????
In many jurisdictions, probate judges are assigned odd jobs by the legislature. Most commonly they decide will contests and oversee estates, but they also often handle the guardianship of orphans, hear some minor political disputes, etc. Often times if the legislature wants to create a special legal proceding, they'll just assign it to the probate judge to handle. It appears that in Florida, matters involving the guardianships of incompetent persons are handled by the probate court.
When a person is incapacitated, the court appoints a proxy (guardian) to act in her interests. It's usually the spouse if there is one. When the proxy's decisions are contested, the judge is required to hear the case. When it looks like the parties can't agree, the proxy can require the judge to decide which party best represents the wishes and interests of the incapacitated person, and the judge will make an order pursuant to which side he believes. In this case, he agreed with the proxy, Michael Schiavo.