As the Sacramento Superior Court’s Presiding Judge, Michael Garcia sits on the proverbial hot seat. This is a time of great change for the trial courts in California. The courts are in the midst of a transition from county to state control. While court operations used to be controlled by the counties, these operations are now funded through the state. Although the courthouses are owned by the counties, a bill enacted last year establishes a three-year program for gradual state takeover of trial court facilities. The deputy sheriffs who provide security at these courthouses are county employees, so the courts must reimburse the counties for the costs of providing security, a major cost of court operations. Overlay the state’s dire fiscal condition on top of this complex situation and one quickly comes to the conclusion that presiding over a large trial court is not a task for the faint of heart.

Fortunately for our local community, the judges of the Superior Court in 2001 selected Judge Garcia to serve a two-year term as presiding judge. As Joan Stone’s profile explains, Judge Garcia possesses the qualities of diligence, intelligence and good humor that have been essential to guiding the court through these challenging times. The Association was thus pleased to honor Judge Garcia as its 2003 Judge of the Year at the Bench-Bar Reception in June.

This issue features several articles on Operation Protect and Defend - Lawyers and Judges Committed to Civic Education in the Public Schools. The SCBA devoted our Law Day program to honoring the participants in this program, including the student essay contest winners and the teachers, lawyers and judges who volunteered their time to make the first year of the program a success. I would like to thank Mary Reich for her wonderful pictures of Law Day and to Robin Taylor for providing photos of a meeting in March between members of the program’s steering committee and author David McCullough. Thanks also to Amy Elizabeth Curran, the grand prize winner of the contest, for allowing us to reprint her essay.

Do you feel the need to get away from the Sacramento heat and take a vacation? If so, Judge Loren McMaster’s article on his visit to “Legal London” should be of interest. Even if you aren’t planning a trip, Judge McMaster’s observations on the differences between our legal system and the English system are quite interesting. Rumors that the Sacramento Superior Court’s Local Rules have been amended to require the wearing of wigs in Department 53 are, of course, utterly unfounded.