Index: wp-admin/includes/template.php
===================================================================
--- wp-admin/includes/template.php	(revision 7276)
+++ wp-admin/includes/template.php	(working copy)
@@ -535,12 +535,15 @@
 	if ( current_user_can( 'edit_user', $user_object->ID ) ) {
 		$edit = clean_url( add_query_arg( 'wp_http_referer', urlencode( clean_url( stripslashes( $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ) ) ), "user-edit.php?user_id=$user_object->ID" ) );
 		$edit = "<a href=\"$edit\">$user_object->user_login</a>";
+		//define the checkbox_disabled as empty only if the user is editable
+		$checkbox_disabled = "";
 	} else {
 		$edit = $user_object->user_login;
+		// otherwise the checkbox is disabled. 
+		$checkbox_disabled = "disabled='true'";
 	}
 	$role_name = translate_with_context($wp_roles->role_names[$role]);
-	$r = "<tr id='user-$user_object->ID'$style>
-		<th scope='row' class='check-column'><input type='checkbox' name='users[]' id='user_{$user_object->ID}' class='$role' value='{$user_object->ID}' /></th>
+	$r = "<tr id='user-$user_object->ID'$style><th scope='row' class='check-column'><input type='checkbox' name='users[]' id='user_{$user_object->ID}' class='$role' value='{$user_object->ID}' $checkbox_disabled /></th>		
 		<td><strong>$edit</strong></td>
 		<td>$user_object->first_name $user_object->last_name</td>
 		<td><a href='mailto:$email' title='" . sprintf( __('e-mail: %s' ), $email ) . "'>$email</a></td>
@@ -926,12 +929,26 @@
 <?php
 }
 
-function wp_dropdown_roles( $default = false ) {
+function wp_dropdown_roles( $selected = false ) {
 	global $wp_roles;
+	
+	// ORIGINALLY: only arg is $default. 
+	// 	   if $default is given then when we get to it, it is set as selected. 
+	// NOW: arg name is changed to $selected
+	//     exact same effect, but now it makes sense for the user_edit.php version as well
+	//     where the highest role of the user can be passed in and used instead of 
+	//     "default" which was what we wanted selected on the user listing page. 
+	// filter the roles to remove ones the logged-in user shouldn't
+	// be able to apply to others, or whatever other filters people
+	// might want.	
+	
+	$role_names = $wp_roles->role_names;
+	$role_names = apply_filters('role_names_listing', $role_names);
+	
 	$r = '';
-	foreach( $wp_roles->role_names as $role => $name ) {
+	foreach( $role_names as $role => $name ) {
 		$name = translate_with_context($name);
-		if ( $default == $role ) // Make default first in list
+		if ( $selected == $role ) // Make $selected first in list
 			$p = "\n\t<option selected='selected' value='$role'>$name</option>";
 		else
 			$r .= "\n\t<option value='$role'>$name</option>";
Index: wp-admin/user-edit.php
===================================================================
--- wp-admin/user-edit.php	(revision 7276)
+++ wp-admin/user-edit.php	(working copy)
@@ -197,9 +197,23 @@
 <?php
 // print_r($profileuser);
 echo '<td><select name="role" id="role">';
-$role_list = '';
-$user_has_role = false;
-foreach($wp_roles->role_names as $role => $name) {
+
+// These are replaced by a direct check to the user object below
+//$role_list = '';
+//$user_has_role = false;
+	
+// ORIGINALLY : if the user has a cap, it is set as selected. 
+// NOW : we use the argument in wp_dropdown_roles to define what is selected. 
+//       we will just use their primary role, defined in the same way as for
+//       the role label on the user listing page. 
+
+$user_roles = $profileuser->roles;
+$user_role = array_shift($user_roles);
+
+// old: go through roles, if one matches set selected and user_has_role
+//      if it doesnt' match add empty one (--No Role for this Blog--).\
+ 
+/* foreach($wp_roles->role_names as $role => $name) {
 	$name = translate_with_context($name);
 	if ( $profileuser->has_cap($role) ) {
 		$selected = ' selected="selected"';
@@ -209,11 +223,27 @@
 	}
 	$role_list .= "<option value=\"{$role}\"{$selected}>{$name}</option>";
 }
-if ( $user_has_role )
-	$role_list .= '<option value="">' . __('&mdash; No role for this blog &mdash;') . '</option>';
+*/
+
+// at the end, if there was a role selected add the roleless state 
+
+// new: use wp_dropdown_roles(), this way the role list can be filtered. 
+
+wp_dropdown_roles($user_role);
+
+// old: check if we found a matching role to determine whether stateless role
+//      is selected
+
+//if ( $user_has_role )
+
+// new: use our direct check value. 
+if ( $user_role )
+	echo "\n\t".'<option value="">' . __('&mdash; No role for this blog &mdash;') . '</option>';
 else
-	$role_list .= '<option value="" selected="selected">' . __('&mdash; No role for this blog &mdash;') . '</option>';
-echo $role_list . '</select></td></tr>';
+// if there was no role, make the roleless state selected.
+	echo "\n\t".'<option value="" selected="selected">' . __('&mdash; No role for this blog &mdash;') . '</option>';
+	
+echo "\n</select>\n</td>\n</tr>";
 ?>
 <?php endif; ?>