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William M. Ray, II (Georgia)
2018 - Present
6
William "Billy" McCrary Ray II is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on January 8, 2018, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 11, 2018, by a vote of 54-41.[1][2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Ray previously served as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2018. Governor Nathan Deal (R) appointed Ray in July 2012.[3][4] He was elected to the court in 2014.[5]
Judicial nominations, appointments, and elections
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (2018-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Ray was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia by President Donald Trump (R) on January 8, 2018. The U.S. Senate confirmed Ray on October 11, 2018, by a vote of 54-41.[2] He received commission on October 25, 2018.[1] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: William M. Ray II |
| Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 276 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: January 8, 2018
|
| ABA Rating: Majority Well Qualified, Minority Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
 Hearing:
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| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: January 18, 2018
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| Confirmed: October 11, 2018
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| Vote: 54-41
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Ray on October 11, 2018, on a vote of 54-41.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| William M. Ray, II confirmation vote (October 11, 2018) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
4 | 39 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican |
50 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 54 | 41 | 5 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Ray had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 18, 2018. The committee voted to advance Ray's nomination to the full Senate on January 18, 2018.[2]
Nomination
Ray was nominated to replace Judge Harold Murphy, who assumed senior status on March 31, 2017.
The American Bar Association rated Ray well qualified by a majority and qualified by a minority for the position.[6] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Georgia Court of Appeals (2012-2018)
Ray previously served as a judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2018. Governor Nathan Deal (R) appointed Ray in July 2012.[3][4] He was elected to the court in 2014.[5]
2014 election
- See also: Georgia judicial elections, 2014
Ray ran for re-election to the Georgia Court of Appeals. He won without opposition in the general election on May 20, 2014.[7][5]
9th Superior Court District of Georgia (2002-2012)
Ray served as a judge on the 9th Superior Court District of Georgia from 2002 to 2012.
2010 election
- See also: Georgia judicial elections, 2010
Ray was re-elected to the Ninth Superior Court District after running unopposed.[8][9]
Early life and education
Ray was born in Macon, Georgia in 1963. He earned his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Georgia Terry School of Business, graduating magna cum laude in 1985. He earned his M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Georgia in 1986. Ray received his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1990.[4][1]
Professional career
- 2018-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- 2012-2018: Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals
- 2002-2012: Judge, Gwinnett Judicial Circuit, Georgia
- 1997-2002: Senator, Georgia State Senate
- 1990-2002: Private practice[1]
Associations
- Past Chair, Legislation Committee of the Council of Superior Court Judges
- Former Secretary-Treasurer, Council of Superior Court Judges
- Former Trustee, Judicial Retirement System Board
- Master, Lumpkin Inn of Court
- Master, Bleckley Inn of Court
- Trustee, Georgia 4-H Foundation[4]
Elections
1996
Ray was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1996 to represent the 48th Senate District. He served as a state senator from 1997 to 2002.[10]
About the court
| Northern District of Georgia |
|---|
| Eleventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 11 |
| Judges: 10 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Leigh Martin May |
| Active judges: Jean-Paul Boulee, Michael L. Brown, Victoria Calvert, Mark Howard Cohen, Sarah Geraghty, Steven Grimberg, Tiffany Johnson, Leigh Martin May, William Ray, Eleanor L. Ross Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Atlanta, Gainesville, Newnan, and Rome. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit based in downtown Atlanta at the Elbert P. Tuttle Federal Courthouse.
The Northern District of Georgia has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Atlanta Division, covering Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale counties.
The Gainesville Division, covering Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White counties.
The Newnan Division, covering Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Haralson, Heard, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, and Troup counties.
The Rome Division, covering Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Paulding, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Biography from the Georgia Court of Appeals
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Ray, William McCrary II," accessed October 14, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Congress.gov, "PN1420 — William M. Ray II — The Judiciary," accessed October 14, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Office of the Georgia Governor, "Press Release: Deal names two to Georgia Court of Appeals," July 25, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Georgia Court of Appeals, "William M. Ray," accessed May 10, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Georgia Secretary of State, “Statewide Election Results,” May 20, 2014
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 21, 2020
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "2014 Qualifying Candidates List," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Non-Partisan Candidates on the November 2, 2010 General Election Ballot," archived July 24, 2012
- ↑ Georgia Secretary of State, "Superior Court Judge Race Results," November 2010
- ↑ GA Senate, "Senator William Ray, II," accessed April 21, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Georgia Court of Appeals 2012-2018 |
Succeeded by - |
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| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
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| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove | ||
Federal courts:
Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Middle District of Georgia, Northern District of Georgia, Southern District of Georgia
State courts:
Georgia Supreme Court • Georgia Court of Appeals • Georgia Superior Courts • Georgia State Courts • Georgia Business Court • Georgia Tax Court • Georgia Juvenile Courts • Georgia Probate Courts • Georgia Magistrate Courts • Georgia Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Georgia • Georgia judicial elections • Judicial selection in Georgia
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