Judge William M. Ray II
Northern Georgia U.S. District Court
William McCrary “Billy” Ray II was born in May 1963 in Macon, Georgia. He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees and his Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia. He was a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He was in private practice in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Ray was elected to the Georgia State Senate and served there for six years. He became a Superior Court Judge on the Gwinnett Judicial Circuit for ten years. He was appoijted to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2012.
In 2017, Ray was nominated by President Donald Trump to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. His nomination was returned and the president renominated Ray. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in October 2018.
Ray is married to Kelle Chandler, with whom he has three children.
In the News…
U.S. District Judge William Ray sentenced a man this month who was convicted of threatening to kill President Donald Trump over a TikTok livestream conducted in July 2025. The judge sentenced the man to three years and five months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The man was previously convicted of terrorist threats and acts, and was on probation at the time of his threats against the president after being convicted of domestic violence battery and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in 2023.
“When free speech devolves into threats against the President of the United States or any of our protectees, you can expect the United States Secret Service to bring those criminals to justice,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, Robert Donovan.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Ray today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable William M. Ray II
Northern Georgia U.S. District Court
Richard B. Russell Federal Building and United States Courthouse
75 Ted Turner Drive, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-3309
