Dudley Hollingsworth Bowen Jr. (born June 25, 1941) is a
senior United States district judge of the
.
Education and career
Bowen was born in
Augusta,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, the son of the owner of a local hardware business. He attended the
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexingto ...
in
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...
from 1958 to 1959.
He transferred to the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
and received an
Artium Baccalaureus
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in 1964. He received a
Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
from the
University of Georgia School of Law
The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a Public university, public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law sc ...
in 1965. He was in private practice of law in Augusta from 1965 to 1966. He was in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
as a lieutenant in the infantry from 1966 to 1968. He was in private practice of law in Augusta from 1968 to 1972. He was a Referee in Bankruptcy for the Southern District of Georgia from 1972 to 1973. He was a
United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Georgia from 1973 to 1975. He was in private practice of law in Augusta from 1975 to 1979.
Federal judicial service
Bowen was nominated by President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
on July 19, 1979, to the
, to a new seat created by 92 stat. 1629. The nomination was criticized by the
Southern Regional Council
The Southern Regional Council (SRC) is a reform-oriented organization created in 1944 to avoid racial violence and promote racial equality in the Southern United States. Voter registration and political-awareness campaigns are used toward this en ...
, which complained that Bowen, who had belonged to
whites-only organizations and was a fundraiser for Senator
Sam Nunn
Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party.
After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiat ...
, had been chosen over a well-qualified black attorney; Nunn defended Bowen as qualified. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on November 26, 1979, and received his commission on November 27, 1979. He served as chief judge from 1997 to 2004. He assumed
senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...
on June 25, 2006.
Notable cases
Among Bowen's cases was litigation over the location of protests of the
Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
, the controversial criminal trial of
Charles Walker, the criminal case of spy
Otto Attila Gilbert, and the criminal trial of the mayor of Augusta, who was convicted of taking kickbacks.
See also
*
List of United States federal judges by longevity of service
This is a list of Article III United States federal judges by longevity of service. The judges on the lists below were presidential appointees who have been confirmed by the Senate, and who served on the federal bench for over 40 years. It includ ...
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, Dudley Hollingsworth Jr.
1941 births
Living people
People from Augusta, Georgia
Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)
Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia
United States district court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter
20th-century American judges
United States Army officers
University of Georgia alumni
University of Georgia School of Law alumni
Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers
Judges of the United States bankruptcy courts
21st-century American judges