Maryland Code (1957, 1987 Repl. Yol.), Article 27, § 591 and Maryland Rule 4-271 both require that a criminal case in a circuit court of this State be tried not later than 180 days after the earlier of the first appearance of the defendant in court or the appearance of counsel. Both statute *515and rule authorize a county administrative judge or that judge’s designee to postpone a trial date beyond the 180-day period if good cause is shown. For over 10 years it has been clear “that dismissal is ordinarily the appropriate sanction for violation of” the 180-day requirement. State v. Hicks, 285 Md. 310, 403 A.2d 356, on motion for reconsideration, 285 Md. 334, 335, 403 A.2d 368, 369 (1979). In this case, we are compelled to direct the dismissal of criminal charges because the postponement that carried the trial date beyond the 180-day limit was not authorized by the administrative judge or the administrative judge’s designee. See Calhoun v. State, 299 Md. 1, 472 A.2d 436 (1984).
I.
On 12 May 1987, in the Circuit Court for Talbot County, petitioner, Anthony Levin Capers (Capers), was charged with maintaining a common nuisance, possession of cocaine, and other drug-related offenses. Eventually Capers was tried, convicted of several of those charges, and sentenced. Our concern, however, is with a series of events that occurred between the filing of the charges and before the commencement of the trial. We recount those events.
On 26 or 27 May 1987, defense counsel entered an appearance for Capers, thereby starting the 180-day clock. The 180-day period, therefore, would have expired by 24 November.
A trial date was set for 24 September 1987.1 That trial date was postponed, apparently because Capers did not appear. Another trial date was set for 10 November 1987. That, too, was postponed. A third date was set for 20 November 1987. Again, on the eve of trial (according to Capers), there was a postponement. It was this postpone*516ment that carried the trial beyond the 180-day limit—Capers was not tried until 29 February 1988—and so it was the critical one for purposes of Rule 4-271. Rosenbach v. State, 314 Md. 473, 477, 551 A.2d 460, 462 (1989); Grant v. State, 299 Md. 47, 53, 472 A.2d 459, 462 (1984). We turn to the circumstances that attended the critical postponement.
According to the assistant State’s Attorney, she received only three days’ advance notice of the 20 November 1987 trial date. When she attempted to contact the investigating officer, obviously an important State’s witness, she learned that the officer would be on leave on 20 November, because he had undertaken to guide hunting parties on that date. The assistant State’s Attorney sought a postponement, which was granted by the circuit court’s assignment officer, over the objections of defense counsel.2
On 7 December 1987 there was a hearing on Capers’s motion to dismiss. The county administrative judge (the only circuit court judge resident in Talbot County) presided. The facts upon which the motion was based were *517set forth, substantially as we have stated them. There was no dispute as to the operative facts. See n. 2, supra. Defense counsel argued that the investigating officer’s water-fowling expedition did not constitute good cause for postponement. The State disputed this. Defense counsel also forcefully pointed out that
the Judge must approve [a postponement beyond the 180-day limit], and there’s nothing in the record ... to show that this was approved. And that’s the requirement.
The State expressed no disagreement, but argued further the question of good cause.3
At the conclusion of the argument, the judge expressed the need for “further research.” He reserved his ruling, but promised to “advise you shortly of my determination.” The hearing ended.
On 29 February 1988 Capers’s case was called for a jury trial. No further mention of § 591 or Rule 4-271 dismissal was made. The court proceeded immediately to jury selection. As we have said, Capers was convicted and sentenced. Upon appeal, the Court of Special Appeals, in an unreported opinion, affirmed. It did not review Capers’s § 591 contention; the intermediate appellate court thought that failure to renew the motion just prior to trial meant that the issue was not preserved.
II.
Before us, the State continues to insist that Capers has failed to preserve the prompt trial issue. We disagree. *518 White v. State, 23 Md.App. 151, 326 A.2d 219 (1974), cert. denied, 273 Md. 723 (1975), upon which the Court of Special Appeals relied, is completely distinguishable.
In White, the defendant filed a lengthy motion advancing many reasons why the indictments against him should be dismissed. He included in subparagraph c of paragraph 10 an assertion that his “ ‘constitutional and fundamental rights’ had been violated” because he had “ ‘been denied a speedy trial.’ ” 23 Md.App. at 154, 326 A.2d at 221. At a motions hearing, the judge asked whether a motion for speedy trial had been filed. Defense counsel could not recall. The judge suggested that any motion of that sort should be filed separately and should be decided by the trial judge; the motions judge declined to decide it. Id. at 154-155, 326 A.2d at 221-222. When the case was called for trial, the different judge then presiding more than once asked the defense whether there were any matters that should be disposed of before trial. Some matters were raised, but not the speedy trial issue. Id. at 155, 326 A.2d at 222. On these facts, it is not surprising that the Court of Special Appeals held that the right to a ruling on the speedy trial motion had been waived. “Appellant may not take advantage of an obscurely situate, undecided motion and stand mute in the face of repeated requests by the judge for all pending motions to be decided.” 23 Md.App. at 156, 326 A.2d at 222.
What happened in White is not even close to what happened here. During the autumn of 1987, Capers was diligent in asserting his entitlement to a prompt trial. On 12 November, immediately after the second postponement (and while the scheduled trial date was still within the 180-day period), he filed a separate prominently captioned “DEMAND FOR SPEEDY TRIAL AND STRICT ADHERENCE TO RULE 4-271.” His motion to dismiss for violation of that rule was filed on 1 December, and it set forth in detail the factual and legal reasons for dismissal. The motion was argued at length on 7 December. At the close *519of the hearing, the judge—the same judge who later presided at trial—promised that he would rule promptly.
It may be, of course, that the judge kept his promise. The docket-making in this case was casual at best; it is not impossible that the judge denied the motion, but that his denial was not recorded. Be that as it may, the motion was one that would have been dispositive of the case had the judge granted it. A judge has a duty to rule on pre-trial motions. Green v. State, 286 Md. 692, 697, 410 A.2d 234, 236-237 (1980); Brice v. State, 254 Md. 655, 662-664, 255 A.2d 28, 31-32 (1969). When a motion to dismiss for violation of § 591 and Rule 4-271 has been as strongly pressed as this one was, and when the judge who heard the motion but a few weeks later presides at the trial, we conclude that the judge has necessarily denied the motion. See Falk v. Stienback, 30 Wash.2d 62, 73-74, 190 P.2d 747, 754 (1948). Otherwise, he would not permit the trial to proceed. We reject the view that Capers’s argument has been waived.
III.
When we turn to the merits of the motion, it is clear that it should have been granted. Section 591 and Rule 4-271 recognize the public’s interest in the prompt disposition of criminal cases. The statute “manifests the legislature’s recognition of the detrimental effects to our criminal justice system which result from excessive delay in scheduling criminal cases for trial and in postponing scheduled trials for inadequate reasons.” Hicks, 285 Md. at 316, 403 A.2d at 359.
“Postponement of cases from dates scheduled for trial is one of the major factors contributing to delay in the administration of justice, civil as well as criminal. Courts and court supporting services spend substantial time ‘spinning their wheels’, in rescheduling cases. Available court time is lost. The time of attorneys and witnesses is lost. Witnesses themselves are lost. Those who are not are put to severe inconvenience as well as actual loss, and *520end up in despair at the frustrations of being involved in the trial of a case in the courts. The very image of the judicial system is in serious jeopardy. Public confidence in the courts as instruments of the people is impaired. Judges and lawyers cannot blame the ‘system’, for they are the people who run that system.”
Id. at 316-317, 403 A.2d at 360 (quoting Guarnera v. State, 20 Md.App. 562, 573, 318 A.2d 243, 248-249 (1974). See also State v. Brown, 307 Md. 651, 658, 516 A.2d 965, 968 (1986).
Because of the important policy embodied in the statute and rule, the 180-day deadline which they establish may be extended only in strict compliance with their provisions. “Thus, every postponement must be granted by the county administrative judge or his designee and must be supported by good cause.” Brown, 307 Md. at 657, 516 A.2d at 968 [emphasis in original]. The intervention of the administrative judge or that judge’s designee is critical because
‘it is the administrative judge who has an overall view of the court’s business, who is responsible “for the administration of the court,” who assigns trial judges, who “supervise^] the assignment of actions for trial,” who supervises the court personnel involved in the assignment of cases, and who receives reports from such personnel,’ and ‘[consequently, the administrative judge is ordinarily in a much better position than another judge of the trial court, or an appellate court, to make the judgment as to whether good cause for postponement of a criminal case exists.’
State v. Toney, 315 Md. 122, 129-130, 553 A.2d 696, 700 (1989) (quoting State v. Frazier, 298 Md. 422, 453-454, 470 A.2d 1269, 1285 (1984)).
Here, the postponement that carried Capers’s case beyond the 180-day period was not granted by the county administrative judge or by that judge’s designee. It was granted by the assignment officer. The statute and rule do not contemplate or permit the exercise of postponement *521authority by anyone other than one with the authority of an administrative judge. The violation before us here mandates dismissal of the charges against Capers.4
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS REVERSED. CASE REMANDED TO THAT COURT WITH DIRECTIONS TO REVERSE THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR TALBOT COUNTY AND REMAND TO THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR ENTRY OF AN ORDER DISMISSING THE CHARGES AGAINST PETITIONER WITH PREJUDICE. COSTS IN THIS COURT AND IN THE COURT OF SPECIAL APPEALS TO BE PAID BY TALBOT COUNTY, MARYLAND.
RODOWSKY, J., dissents with opinion.