With more than 600 judges hearing cases in various courts throughout Los Angeles County, selecting the 25 most powerful was a challenging task, to say the least. There are several judges not on the Business Journal list who some legal observers might effectively argue should have been included.

They are Arthur L. Alarcon, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals; Manuel L. Real, U.S. District Court; Geraldine Mund, U.S. Bankruptcy Court; Joan D. Klein, California Courts of Appeal; and L.A. Superior Court judges Gregory C. O’Brien, Jon M. Mayeda and Terry B. Friedman.

While they are not among the 25 profiled, they all wield considerable clout both in their respective courtrooms and beyond.