Ronald M. George

For a decade, George has made it his mission to centralize and empower the nation's largest justice system.

Now, he said, "the judiciary is acting like a true separate, co-equal branch of government in reality and not just in name or in theory."

On his watch, the state's 220 trial courts were combined into 58 superior courts that are funded and administered as a statewide system instead of by individual counties.

George took some of the politics out of the creation of judgeships, which are now allocated by need, based on a study conducted by the Judicial Council.

Perhaps most important, George has made sure the judiciary has better control of its own purse strings. The legislature automatically adjusts the court budget to account for increases in caseloads and routine expenses, freeing up judicial leaders to lobby for funding new policy initiatives.

On the court, George has earned a reputation for leading from the center and carrying his weight as author of precedent-setting rulings.

His achievements have not gone unnoticed around the nation. One of his most recent accolades came last month when the American Bar Association gave him the John Marshall Award.

"I'm sort of the head of the parade, but there are so many people whose work is really responsible for these very impressive achievements," George said.