CJP admonishes former Judge Bower for improperly soliciting a Marsden motion, disparaging a defense attorney and now his previous private admonishment of a relationship with an alternate juror and advisory letter where his sidebar with attorneys was heard by jurors, bailiff and others in trial is also public

 

"The Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly admonished former Judge Robert S. Bowers of Solano County Superior Court.  The commission determined that it should publicly admonish former Judge Bowers for misconduct in which he engaged while presiding over a homicide case. "

Former Judge Bowers improperly solicited a Marsden motion, made disparaging remarks about a defense attorney, discussed substitution of attorneys with another attorney and improperly handled a statement of disqualification.

"Former Judge Bowers’s misconduct was aggravated by a private admonishment and an advisory letter previously issued by the commission to former Judge Bowers. "

Now that private admonishment is public. In 2012, Judge Bowers developed a close social relationship with an alternate juror in a case over which he presides and did not disclose this relationship to the parties. The 2007 advisory letter was about a 2005 where the jury, others in the courtroom and the bailiff heard him say, "this is bullshit" to the attorneys at a sidebar.

CJP Press Release:

The Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly admonished former Judge Robert S. Bowers of Solano County Superior Court.  The commission determined that it should publicly admonish former Judge Bowers for misconduct in which he engaged while presiding over a homicide case. 

In that case, former Judge Bowers (1) improperly solicited a Marsden motion, which interfered with the attorney-client relationship; (2) made disparaging remarks about a defense attorney, which conveyed the appearance of bias and embroilment, and which could reasonably interfere with the attorney-client relationship and convey the appearance of retaliation for the attorney's motion to disqualify former Judge Bowers; (3) discussed substitution of attorneys with another attorney, which conveyed the appearance of embroilment, bias, prejudgment, and abuse of authority; and (4) improperly handled a statement of disqualification. 

Former Judge Bowers’s misconduct was aggravated by a private admonishment and an advisory letter previously issued by the commission to former Judge Bowers. 

The public admonishment is available on the commission’s website at https://cjp.ca.gov (under “Pending Cases – Press Releases & Documents” and “Public Discipline & Decisions”). 

Former Judge Bowers is represented by Kathleen M. Ewins, Esq. of Long & Levit LLP of San Francisco. 

First page and last two page of  discipline:

All 21 pages of discipline can be found on the CJP website.