William McCrary Ray II

William McCrary Ray II
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Designate
Assuming office
TBD
Appointed by Donald Trump
Succeeding Harold Lloyd Murphy
Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals
Assumed office
July 30, 2012
Appointed by Nathan Deal
Preceded by Keith R. Blackwell
Judge of the Georgia Superior Court
for the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit
In office
January 14, 2002 – July 30, 2012
Appointed by Roy Barnes
Succeeded by George F. Hutchinson III
Member of the Georgia Senate
from the 48th district
In office
January 1996 – January 2002
Succeeded by David Shafer
Personal details
Born 1963 (age 54–55)
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Political party Republican[1]
Spouse(s)
Kelle Chandler (m. 1989)
Children Chandler, Davis, Avery
Residence Grayson, Georgia
Education Terry College of Business (BBA, MBA)
University of Georgia School of Law (JD)

William McCrary Ray II (born 1963) is a United States District Judge–Designate of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He was previously a Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Biography

Ray was born in Macon, Georgia in 1963.[2] He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the Terry College of Business in 1985, magna cum laude, his Master of Business Administration from the Terry College of Business in 1986, and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1990. Upon graduation he joined the law firm of Andersen, Davidson & Tate, P.C. in Gwinnett County, Georgia.[3] He ran for the Georgia State Senate in 1996 and spent six years representing the 48th District. He served on the Judiciary, Special Judiciary, Rules, Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Transportation Committees.[2] On January 14, 2002, he took the oath of office to be a Superior Court Judge on the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit,[2] a position in which he served for ten years.[3] On July 30, 2012, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Ray to serve as the 76th Judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia, where he succeeded Keith R. Blackwell, who was elevated to the state Supreme Court.[2][4][5]

Nomination to district court

On July 13, 2017, President Trump nominated Ray to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, to the seat vacated by Judge Harold Lloyd Murphy, who took senior status on March 31, 2017.[6] On September 20, 2017, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On October 19, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee by a roll call vote of 11–9.[8]

On January 3, 2018, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[9] On January 5, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to renominate Ray to a federal judgeship.[10] On January 8, 2018, his renomination was sent to the Senate.[11] On January 18, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 11–10 vote.[12] On October 11, 2018, his nomination was confirmed by a 54–41 vote.[13] He is currently awaiting his judicial commission.

Personal life

Ray has been married since 1989 to Dr. Kelle Chandler Ray, who is a clinical psychologist who practices in Lawrenceville, Georgia. They have three sons and reside in Grayson, Georgia.[2]

One of Ray's uncles was Richard Ray, a Democratic United States Congressman from Perry, Georgia and another uncle was Robert Ray of Fort Valley who served in the Georgia House of Representatives for 24 years.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Q&A with Judge William Ray, Superior Court of Gwinnett County" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biography: William M. Ray". Georgia Court of Appeals. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fifth Wave of Judicial Candidates".
  4. ↑ "Deal names two to Georgia Court of Appeals - Governor Nathan Deal Office of the Governor". gov.georgia.gov.
  5. ↑ "Deal appoints judges to Cobb and Gwinnett benches, McIntosh County State Court - Governor Nathan Deal Office of the Governor". gov.georgia.gov.
  6. ↑ "" Ten Nominations Sent to the Senate Today" White House, July 13, 2017".
  7. ↑ "Nominations - United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  8. ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – October 19, 2017, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
  9. ↑ "Congressional Record". www.congress.gov.
  10. ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Renomination of 21 Judicial Nominees".
  11. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate Today".
  12. ↑ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2018, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
  13. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation William M. Ray II, of Georgia, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Georgia)". United States Senate. October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Keith R. Blackwell		 Judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals
2012–2018		 Vacant
Preceded by
Harold Lloyd Murphy		 Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
2018–present		 Incumbent
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