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Both sides of the Freddie Gray trial agree: Judge Barry Williams is the best man for the job.

鈥淚 think at the end of the day, no matter what side of the coin you are on, with Judge Barry Williams presiding over the case, you are going to understand and realize that ,鈥� local defense attorney Doug Colbert told CNN's Baltimore affiliate WBAL.

After studying at the University of Virginia, Judge Williams received his law degree at the University of Maryland. Williams worked as an assistant state鈥檚 attorney specializing in street crime for eight years before becoming a trial attorney, and later special litigation counsel in the Department of Justice鈥檚 civil rights division, where he deliberated police misconduct cases. And from 2012 to 2014, Williams chaired Baltimore鈥檚 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to think, could I imagine anyone else in terms of their career path who would have been better prepared for this case?鈥� Larry Gibson, Williams鈥� former professor at the University of Maryland Francis Carey Law Center, told the Associated Press. 鈥淚 can鈥檛.鈥�

Twenty-five-year-old Freddie Gray was arrested in April 2015 after running away from the police. Gray was then handcuffed and put in the back of a police van 鈥� without a seatbelt 鈥� where he suffered a spine injury during transport. When Gray died in the hospital a week later, protesters filled the streets and his case quickly became a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Marilyn Mosby, the state鈥檚 Attorney for Baltimore, charged six officers who were involved with Gray鈥檚 arrest with a variety of crimes, ranging from involuntary manslaughter to depraved-heart murder.

Officer William Porter was the first of six officers to be tried in Gray鈥檚 death. Williams declared a mistrial in Mr. Porter鈥檚 case after deadlocked jurors failed to reach in agreement on Porter鈥� charges of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office. Williams has scheduled a new trial for Porter on Sept. 6.聽

Officer Edward Nero was tried next in early May.聽Mr. Nero opted for a bench trial instead of a typical jury.聽Judge Williams acquitted Nero of all charges, a decision both sides of the case considered reasonable.聽

鈥淢r. Nero wasn鈥檛 the arresting officer and didn鈥檛 transport Gray,鈥� Peter Moskos and Leon Taylor, both former Baltimore police officers, . 鈥淭he case against Mr. Nero was fuzzy at best and malicious prosecution at worst. In his acquittal, Judge Barry Williams said the prosecution鈥檚 main argument of accomplice liability was not 鈥榓n appropriate application of the law.鈥� Consider patients who die in surgery. Sometimes it鈥檚 even the doctor鈥檚 fault. But never would you see an entire operating room arrested.鈥�

Even the Gray family attorney agrees that Nero鈥檚 acquittal was just.聽

鈥淎t this critical time and for good and sound and decent reasons, we have to respect Judge Williams鈥� opinion, because it was ,鈥� Gray family attorney Billy Murphy told CNN after the ruling.

Williams鈥檚 鈥渆xcellent reputation both for probity and for being an aggressive prosecutor for many years ... of police misconduct cases,鈥� relieves concerns about the legal process, Murphy added. 鈥淭hat gives us confidence that our designated representative of the community, Judge Barry Williams, did a credible job. That鈥檚 all we wanted out of the process.... You couldn鈥檛 ask for a more fair-minded judge than Barry Williams.鈥澛�

But because Nero鈥檚 case was so disconnected from the circumstances surrounding Gray鈥檚 death, his acquittal sheds little insight on Williams鈥� future rulings 鈥� and both sides鈥� future reactions.聽

Williams鈥� apt understanding of the law, and his support by both sides of the case, will be examined closely Thursday as the trial of Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. begins. Goodson was the driver of the police van at the time of Gray鈥檚 injury and of all six officers charged, he is the only one facing a murder charge. If convicted, Goodson could face up to 30 years in prison. 聽

This report contains material from the Associated Press.