In many jurisdictions, probate judges are given odd jobs by the legislature. They are best known for cases involving wills and estates, but they can also, for instance, handle the guardianships of orphans. In Ohio, if you want to impeach a city councilman, you can sue in the local probate court. It appears that in Florida, the legislature gave PVS suits to the probate court to handle.
That would explain it. If you are right, I can only hope the Florida legislature will fix the mess it created.
Over and over I have heard that Judge Greer's "hands were tied," That there was nothing he could legally do, even if he wanted. While I have heard this denied may times, I never actually heard it refuted. Can anyone here walk us through the reasoning (legal reasoning, not just the moral argument) that would allow the Judge to say the tube had to remain long-term?
2nd question:
The law can be, as Samuel Johnson protested, "an ass." Given that it was legal for Michael to have her starved to death, if Michael said, "Oh Terri and I talked about it, we really love the ocean and fishing and we decided that if we ever got to this point, we'd like to be used as bait on a hook, so we could go out on that fishing experience" would Greer be likewise obligated by law to grant his wish? I now it's extreme, but there are some pretty bizarre people out there including "holocaust-was-a-good-thing" Felos.