He describes himself as a conservative judge in a conservative county. But many of those who have watched the career of Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Gray said his approach to the job is anything but traditional.
His record--part rebel, part reformer, part conciliator--has kept him in the limelight.
A decade ago, Gray's call for the legalization of drugs prompted the county sheriff to quip, "What was this guy smoking?" and a fellow judge openly questioned his impartiality on the narcotics issue.
But Gray hasn't backed down. And now, he finds himself at the center of two more high-profile cases that have kept him very much on center stage.
Last week, he brokered a landmark $5.2-million settlement between the Catholic Church and a man who claims he was molested during his teenage years by a priest. By all accounts, it was Gray's handling of settlement talks--one part delicate, one part firm--that led not only to one of the largest payouts by the church but also to a slate of church reforms aimed at preventing molestation by priests.
Gray also entered the heated battle over whether to build an airport at El Toro, shocking both sides by throwing out a new voter referendum on the issue. An appeals court on Friday overturned his ruling.
Gray even played a bit part earlier this month in the case of a former college classmate accused of murder.
Far from the fuzzy-haired radical many expect, Gray is tall, clean-cut and lean-limbed. He'd appear much younger than his 56 years if not for a preponderance of gray hair.
Gray speaks curtly and eyes his subject intensely when listening. His single-mindedness is something he shares with his late father, another Orange County legal legend credited with helping reform the Orange County jails.
"The way I was raised was, you speak out if something is wrong," Gray said.
When he was first appointed judge 17 years ago, Gray immediately endured the close attention of legal peers due to the actions of his father, U.S. District Court Judge William P. Gray. At the time, the elder Gray was butting heads with county officials over his rulings on jail overcrowding and prisoners' rights--a battle that would last for years.
"When you've just become a Municipal Court judge and your father is holding all the county supervisors in contempt of court [because of jail overcrowding], it's hard to be inconspicuous," Gray said.
