Dudley Hollingsworth Bowen Jr.

Federal judicial service

Bowen was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on July 19, 1979, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, to a new seat created by 92 stat. 1629. The nomination was criticized by the Southern Regional Council, which complained that Bowen, who had belonged to whites-only organizations and was a fundraiser for Senator Sam Nunn, had been chosen over a well-qualified black attorney; Nunn defended Bowen as qualified. He was confirmed by the United States Senate 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 on June 25, 2006. 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.