Judge James P. Gray (ret.)- CA, USA

Judge James P. Gray (ret.) has a distinguished career in the judicial system and in American politics. Judge Gray began his career as a staff judge advocate and criminal defense attorney for the U.S. Navy JAG corps. After working for 5 years in private practice in Newport Beach he was appointed by Governor Deukmejian to the Santa Ana municipal court in December1983, where he was active in trying to combat alcohol-related offenses. Judge Jim Gray was elevated by Governor Deukmejian to the Orange County Superior Court in July 1989, where he received awards as the 1992 “Judge of the Year” by the business litigation section of the Orange County Bar Association, the 1995 “Judge of the Year” by the Orange County Constitutional Rights Foundation, and honorary doctor of law degrees from Western State University and Chapman University. He retired after 25 years on the bench in January 2009. In 2012, Judge Gray ran alongside Governor Gary Johnson as the Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President of the United States. Judge Gray now works in private mediation and arbitration for ADR Services in Irvine. In 2009, the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County named its annual “Judge of the Year” award after him, and in 2020 the Orange County Bar Association awarded him their highest honor with the lifetime achievement Franklin G. West award.