Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced this week he had tapped an openly gay deputy public defender for a vacancy on the Contra Costa County Superior Court. The selection of Christopher R. Bowen is the governor's second out judicial pick for the East Bay bench.
In February the governor appointed out lesbian Rebecca C. Hardie, formerly director and counsel for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, to the court. At the time only the second known openly gay person to be picked for a judicial post by the governor, Hardie hears cases out of the court's Pittsburg courthouse.
Bowen, an attorney with the Contra Costa County Public Defender's office, is believed to be the first out gay man on the county court. He is also the fourth openly gay lawyer in the Bay Area to be given a judicial post by the governor.
Last month lesbian lawyer Angela Bradstreet became the second out person appointed by Schwarzenegger to the San Francisco County Superior Court. In June 2009 Judge Ron Albers became the first known openly gay person to be selected by the governor to the state court system when he was appointed to the San Francisco court.
Bowen, 42, who is single, lives in Richmond. He has worked for the county public defender's office for 16 years and is an appointed member of Richmond's Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. A former board member of the county Bar Association, Bowen earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Santa Clara University.
"I am very honored and humbled to be chosen to serve my community," Bowen told the Bay Area Reporter during a phone interview following the announcement of his selection Monday, October 18.
Bowen said he does not personally know his soon-to-be fellow jurist Hardie. He applied to be a judge with the governor's office last year and received strong backing from the group Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians.
"I have been trying serious felony cases for 13 years and so I just got to thinking that I might have a skill set that could transfer from the role of advocate to the role of neutral observer," said Bowen. "I was encouraged by some members of the bench to throw my hat into the ring."
Since he took office in 2003, the governor has faced criticism from LGBT legal and advocacy groups for his lack of out LGBT judicial picks. The oversight led to one lesbian and three gay men to run for seats on the San Francisco court this year, two of whom opted to challenge Judge Richard Ulmer, whom the governor appointed to the local bench the same day last year as Albers.
Now Ulmer is in a tough battle to retain his seat against Michael Nava, who came in first place during the June primary. Should he win come November, Nava would be the first openly gay Latino judge on the local court.
Asked if he is concerned that he will face a challenger when he goes before the voters to retain his seat on the Contra Costa court, Bowen said he had yet to give it any thought.
"That could happen sometime in the future but I am hoping I will show that the governor has made the right choice," said Bowen. "With my connection to the local community and the local legal community, I feel I would be in a good position to retain my seat."
He said he is unsure when his swearing in ceremony will take place. A registered Democrat, Bowen will fill a vacancy created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on January 29, 2010. He will earn $178,789.