Presiding Justice Raye received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma and his J.D. in 1970 from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He served as a judge advocate in the US. Air Force from 1970 to 1974. He was the Chief of Military Justice. After he completed his military service, he joined the California Attorney General’s Office and served in various capacities.
Presiding Justice Raye was appointed to the Sacramento Superior Court in 1989 and sworn into office as an Associate Justice on the Third District Court of Appeal in 1991. He continued to serve in that capacity until December, 2010, when he was appointed as the Court’s Presiding Justice by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He continued to serve as the Presiding Justice until he retired on June 1, 2022. He has inspired many through his service to his state of California and his legacy will continue.
Presiding Justice Raye during his tenure with the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeals has provided extraordinary service to the Council as a respected member. He has served as an original member of the Website Committee; the Education Committee; was a member of the Executive Committee, being Secretary-Treasurer, President-Elect, then President for the 2014-2015 term. Since serving as President, he has continued to serve the Council in various capacities, including the Nomination and Technology Task Force Committees. In addition, he has been maintaining the Council’s website, and over the years has made many changes for the benefit of the council’s members.
Presiding Justice Raye has been involved in many law related and community activities including being a member of the Executive Committee of the California Judicial Council Commission on the Future of the Courts and chair of the Commission’s Family Relations Committee. In 2014, he received the Robert T. Matsui Community Award, the Distinguished Alumni and Service Award from the University of Oklahoma and the President’s Leadership Award from the University of Oklahoma.