Hugh Henry Bownes
Judge Bownes no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Bownes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Bownes suppressed evidence when the officers had time to obtain a warrant and faced neither danger nor a risk that evidence would be destroyed.
“Third, the process of obtaining a warrant would not have given anyone an opportunity to destroy the evidence.”
Bownes resolved doubts about the scope of a labor arbitration clause in favor of contractual coverage.
“Doubts should be resolved in favor of coverage.”
Bownes treated arbitrary accidental discrimination as capable of violating equal protection even without a conscious discriminatory plan.
“Absence of equal protection of the laws has almost certainly been accidental here. But accidental or not, plaintiff will suffer irreparable injury”
Procedural preferences
Bownes refused to require administrative exhaustion where pursuing relief through the accused union would plainly be futile.
“This Court will not force the plaintiff to take such action.”
Bownes warned that untimely assertion of rights should not receive an advantage over registrants who pursued remedies promptly.
“Such a person could well reflect that the day of reckoning is better postponed by sleeping on one’s rights.”
Bownes expected counsel to identify the governing procedural rule when requesting dispositive relief.
“In the future, however, counsel would be advised to refer to the F.R.Civ.P. for guidance regarding the form of written motions.”
Cautions
Bownes rejected discovery aimed at obtaining an opponent's internal valuation merely as leverage for settlement.
“This request is an obvious attempt by plaintiff’s counsel to get material to use as a lever for settlement.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The motion to dismiss is granted.”
“The motion to dismiss is granted. So ordered.”
“The motion to suppress is granted. So ordered.”
“The answer to the second ccunt is treated as a motion to dismiss and it is denied. So ordered.”
“The defendant, his agents, servants, and employees are permanently enjoined and restrained from violating the provisions of sections 15(a) (2) and 15(a) (5) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. §§ 215(a) (2), 215(a) (5) (1964)), and the defendant shall pay overtime compensation in the amounts stated to the employees listed on “Schedule C” of the plaintiff’s interrogatories with interest from the date overtime compensation was due and payable. No costs.”
“Therefore, plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment is denied; and defendant’s motion for summary judgment is granted.”
“The defendants’ motions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction are denied.”
“The plaintiff Company’s motion to remand is denied.”
“The plaintiff Company’s motion in the alternative to compel arbitration and enjoin continuation of the strike is denied.”
“Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal is granted.”
“The Court, therefore, finds the defendant guilty of the offense charged in the indictment.”
“The Court, therefore, grants the defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
No case-level docket record was returned for Bownes's district-court tenure. The profile therefore makes no claim about caseload mix, case duration, administrative dispositions, or motion timing.
A historical record
Judge Bownes no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.