In October, District Judge Ron Jackson was awarded the 2006 Howell Heflin Award at the Court Referral Officer (CRO) Program awards ceremony.

He was nominated for the award by Trey Richardson, a court referral&8217;s officer. Richardson wrote in his nomination, &8220;Judge Jackson has provided year after year of dedication to the success of the [CRO] program. He has been an advocate to the continued growth of the program … [he is] the standard as what other judges should strive to meet.&8221; J. Michael Joiner, presiding circuit judge in Shelby County and Associate Justice Patricia M. Smith of the Alabama Supreme Court wrote in letters of support for Jackson&8217;s nomination.

&8220;I&8217;m very pleased,&8221; Jackson said. &8220;I&8217;m surprised, pleased and honored. There were a number of judges nominated for this award.&8221;

Jackson is currently the presiding district judge with a varying caseload. He hears all traffic cases in the Shelby County District Court as well as many of the traffic and misdemeanor cases involving substance abuse. Smith wrote about Jackson, &8220;[He] understands that by personally investing time in monitoring compliance he insures the integrity of the court system and he demonstrates follow through with a population that has a history of avoidance and non-compliance.

According to a recent report, last fiscal court year (October to September) Jackson saw 17,161 cases.

&8220;It&8217;s a record high for me,&8221; he said. &8220;The numbers are increasing year to year.&8221;

Jackson, a Montevallo resident, has been working as a judge for 16 years.

Trey Richardson, who nominated Jackson for the award, was also honored at the ceremony. Richardson received a newly established award recognizing his outstanding work as a CRO. His duties include evaluating people convicted of substance abuse related crimes, referring them to the appropriate program and following their progress.