Robert Bowers Admonished Retired

Robert S. Bowers, a former Solano County, California Superior Court judge, was publicly admonished by the state's Commission on Judicial Performance for misconduct while presiding over a 2024 homicide case, People v. Damian Jones. When Deputy Public Defender Matthew Adler filed a motion to continue the trial because of a scheduling conflict with another case, Bowers responded with conduct the Commission found crossed multiple ethical lines: improperly soliciting a Marsden motion (a request to replace defense counsel), which interfered with the attorney-client relationship; making disparaging remarks about Adler that conveyed the appearance of bias; separately discussing substitution of attorneys with a different lawyer, conduct the Commission found showed embroilment, bias, prejudgment, and abuse of authority; and improperly handling a statement of disqualification filed against him.

The Commission noted the misconduct was aggravated by a prior private admonishment and advisory letter it had already issued Bowers before this incident.