--- title: "Douglas Leroy Rayes | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-leroy-rayes" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Douglas Leroy Rayes U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona - State: Arizona - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. Arizona, 2014-present - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, having assumed senior status on June 1, 2024 - Judge, Arizona Superior Court, Maricopa County, 2000-2014 - Maricopa County Superior Court Judge (2000–2014), presiding over civil, criminal, and family cases - U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps (1979–1982) - Notable prior role: Maricopa County Superior Court Judge - As Senior Judge, Rayes continues to hear cases in the District of Arizona, though with reduced caseload compared to active service U.S. Bankruptcy Court ### Education - Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ### Additional information - Appointed: May 28, 2014 (active), June 1, 2024 (senior status) - presiding criminal judge, 2010-2013 - In 2012, he was one of three finalists recommended to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer for a vacancy on the Arizona Supreme Court, but was not appointed. - associate presiding civil judge, 2008-2010 - Private practice, Scottsdale, AZ, 1989-2000 - Private practice in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona (1982–2000) - Private practice, Phoenix, AZ, 1982-1989 - U.S. Army Reserve captain, 1982-1985 - U.S. Army captain, JAG Corps, 1979-1982 - Born 1952 in Globe, Arizona. - Date of birth: 1952-01-01 - United States federal judge - Confirmed by Senate: 77–19 vote - His official court contact is listed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Phoenix U.S. Bankruptcy Court. - Birth place: Globe, AZ ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394521) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394521) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394521) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2666/douglas-leroy-rayes/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2666/douglas-leroy-rayes/) - [Wikidata: Douglas L. Rayes](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16735040) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-leroy-rayes", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/douglas-leroy-rayes", "name": "Douglas Leroy Rayes | KnowJudges", "description": "Douglas Leroy Rayes, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.