James P. Gray
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" P. Gray is an American jurist
, politician
, and writer
. He was the presiding judge of the Superior Court
of Orange County, California
. Gray was the 2004 Libertarian
candidate for the United States Senate
in California
. He is the author of multiple non-fiction books dealing with legal and political issues.
area, Gray earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1966, after which he taught in the Peace Corps
in Costa Rica
. Gray returned to California and earned a law degree from the University of Southern California Law School
in 1971.
in Guam
and California
.
After five years in private practice, he was named to the Santa Ana
Municipal Court in 1983 and then to the Orange County Superior Court in 1989. Much of Gray's legal career has dealt with drug-related issues.
, joined the Libertarian
Party and, in November 2003, declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Barbara Boxer
in California. He was a keynote speaker at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention.
In March 2004 Gray defeated former Libertarian Party of California
chair Gail Lightfoot in a statewide primary
for the party's nomination. Gray suspended his judicial activities while running for the Senate against incumbent Democratic
Senator Barbara Boxer
and Republican Bill Jones. Gray received 216,522 votes, 1.8% of the total vote, finishing behind Boxer, Jones, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Marsha Feinland
. Gray picked up a newspaper endorsement from the Long Beach
Press-Telegram.
and has argued for legalization of marijuana.
He is featured in the 2007 documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope
.
Gray is an outspoken critic of drug laws
, especially in the state of California. He has released a video on behalf of the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 campaign in which he asserts that violent criminals are receiving light sentences and early release due to the costs and infrastructure demands required to convict and house non violent criminals.
-- as Chief Officer, Bill Pike -- as Chief Counsel, and Steve Collett -- as Treasurer -- began working on an initiative called Regulate Marijuana Like Wine that, if passed, would regulate cannabis consumption and production like wine in California. On September 1st, 2011 the Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Committee officially filed the initiative with the Attorney General in Sacramento
, California
. The most up-to-date details can be obtained by visiting www.regulatemarijuanalikewine.com.
, is married, and has three children.
Synopsis:
It's a play, it's a musical, it's an inspirational show set in the high school classroom that shares the importance of staying in school through music, dialogue, and poetry. With a minimal set, this is a fun and entertaining musical experience that can travel to any school. It will leave a real, lasting, and positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents.
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was the presiding judge of the Superior Court
Superior Courts of California
The Superior Courts of California are the superior courts in the U.S. state of California with general jurisdiction to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court or before a government agency...
of Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. Gray was the 2004 Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
candidate for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He is the author of multiple non-fiction books dealing with legal and political issues.
Early life and education
Raised in the Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area, Gray earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1966, after which he taught in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. Gray returned to California and earned a law degree from the University of Southern California Law School
University of Southern California Law School
The University of Southern California Law School , located in Los Angeles, California, is a law school within the University of Southern California...
in 1971.
Judicial career
From 1972 through 1975, Gray practiced law with the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. NavyJudge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
The Judge Advocate General's Corps also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG" is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 Judge Advocates, 30 limited duty officers , 500 enlisted members and nearly 275 civilian personnel, serving...
in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
After five years in private practice, he was named to the Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
Municipal Court in 1983 and then to the Orange County Superior Court in 1989. Much of Gray's legal career has dealt with drug-related issues.
2004 candidacy for U.S Senate
Gray, previously a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, joined the Libertarian
Libertarian
Libertarian may refer to:*A proponent of libertarianism, a political philosophy that upholds individual liberty, especially freedom of expression and action*A member of a libertarian political party; including:**Libertarian Party...
Party and, in November 2003, declared his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
in California. He was a keynote speaker at the 2004 Libertarian National Convention.
In March 2004 Gray defeated former Libertarian Party of California
Libertarian Party of California
The Libertarian Party of California is the California affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The state chair is Kevin Takenaga.- Libertarians in office in California :-See also:*David Bergland*Steve Kubby*James P. Gray*Gail Lightfoot*George Monty Davis...
chair Gail Lightfoot in a statewide primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
for the party's nomination. Gray suspended his judicial activities while running for the Senate against incumbent Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Senator Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
and Republican Bill Jones. Gray received 216,522 votes, 1.8% of the total vote, finishing behind Boxer, Jones, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Marsha Feinland
Marsha Feinland
Marsha Feinland was a third-party candidate for President of the United States in the 1996 U.S. presidential election. Her running mate was Kate McClatchy; they were only on the ballot in California and received 25,332 votes...
. Gray picked up a newspaper endorsement from the Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
Press-Telegram.
Anti-War on Drugs activism
Gray wrote Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It - A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs (2001) about the War on DrugsWar on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
and has argued for legalization of marijuana.
He is featured in the 2007 documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope
American Drug War: The Last White Hope
American Drug War: The Last White Hope is a 2007 documentary by writer/director Kevin Booth about the War on Drugs in the United States.- Synopsis :The film states the War on Drugs has become one of the longest and most costly wars in American history...
.
Gray is an outspoken critic of drug laws
Prohibition (drugs)
The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent drug use. Prohibition of drugs has existed at various levels of government or other authority from the Middle Ages to the present....
, especially in the state of California. He has released a video on behalf of the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 campaign in which he asserts that violent criminals are receiving light sentences and early release due to the costs and infrastructure demands required to convict and house non violent criminals.
2012 California initiative campaign
In early 2011 Judge Jim Gray -- as Chief Proponent, Steve KubbySteve Kubby
Steven "Steve" Wynn Kubby is a Libertarian Party activist who played a key role in the drafting and passage of California Proposition 215. The proposition was a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana which was approved by voters in 1996. Kubby himself is well-known as a cancer patient who...
-- as Chief Officer, Bill Pike -- as Chief Counsel, and Steve Collett -- as Treasurer -- began working on an initiative called Regulate Marijuana Like Wine that, if passed, would regulate cannabis consumption and production like wine in California. On September 1st, 2011 the Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Committee officially filed the initiative with the Attorney General in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The most up-to-date details can be obtained by visiting www.regulatemarijuanalikewine.com.
Personal
Gray currently resides in Newport Beach, CaliforniaNewport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, is married, and has three children.
Musicals Written
AMERICANS ALL (ABRIDGED) A MUSICAL IN ONE ACT Book, Music, and Lyrics by Judge James P. GraySynopsis:
It's a play, it's a musical, it's an inspirational show set in the high school classroom that shares the importance of staying in school through music, dialogue, and poetry. With a minimal set, this is a fun and entertaining musical experience that can travel to any school. It will leave a real, lasting, and positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents.