On August 4, California Governor Brown announced that he appointed David McCray, Of Counsel at Beveridge & Diamond, as a justice on the California Courts-Martial Appellate Panel.  The panel, which was created in 2013, is made up of three justices and hears criminal appeals involving California Guard and Reserve personnel.

In this role, Mr. McCray will review issues presented on behalf of the individual convicted of a crime, hear argument, and, along with the two other justices, issue a decision following the Uniform Code of Military Justice and California law.  The length of Mr. McCray’s term is four years.

“I am honored Governor Brown selected me for this position.  I am proud of my service in the U.S. Air Force, and I look forward to working closely with the military again and ensuring that criminal justice matters are properly reviewed,” said Mr. McCray.

Mr. McCray joined Beveridge & Diamond in 2014 after serving as Assistant Chief Counsel at the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for seven years.  Prior to joining Caltrans, Mr. McCray served with the U.S. Air Force for 21 years and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. McCray held positions such as the Chief of the Environmental & Tort Litigation Branch, the Base Staff Judge Advocate at Beale Air Force Base, California, and the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri where he also managed the environmental law program.  While with the Air Force, Mr. McCray also served for two years as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Environmental & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. McCray earned an LLM from the University of Utah, College of Law; a JD from the University of California, Davis, School of Law; an MBA from Golden Gate University; and a BS from California State University, Long Beach.