Ronald M. George

The state high court's chief surprised many court-watchers this year when he became a hero to gay rights activists everywhere. The generally moderate Republican appointee cast the key vote in the landmark decision striking down the state's same-sex marriage ban. In writing the landmark opinion, he said it was unconstitutional to deny marriage to same-sex couples, drawing comparisons to laws against interracial marriage that had been struck down by the state high court 60 years earlier. He said that he believes same-sex marriage eventually will become accepted across the country. When? Well, with interracial marriage, he noted, it took the U.S. Supreme Court nearly 20 years.