Judge Linda S. Cowen: Biography & Judicial Service | KnowJudges

# Linda S. Cowen
Senior Judge · [Clayton County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/clayton-county-state-court)

## Judicial assignments
[Clayton Judicial Circuit](/kyj/court/ga/clayton-judicial-circuit)Senior Judge — circuit affiliation; court class unconfirmedThe official Senior Judges directory lists this circuit affiliation. A specific current assignment is not established. Senior judge available for assignment; this does not establish a current primary assignment.
Source checked October 15, 2026. [Roster source 1](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#home/directory-entries/58af022ace9168f520c4da5c/) · [Roster source 2](https://us-api.knack.com/v1/pages/scene_1/views/view_5/records?rows_per_page=1000&page=1&filters=%7B%22match%22%3A+%22and%22%2C+%22rules%22%3A+%5B%7B%22field%22%3A+%22field_19%22%2C+%22operator%22%3A+%22is%22%2C+%22value%22%3A+%22Senior+Judges%22%7D%5D%7D)
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.

## Linda S. Cowen at a glance
Current roleSenior Judge
Court[Clayton County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/clayton-county-state-court)
Current assignment[Clayton County State Court](/kyj/court/ga/clayton-county-state-court)
JurisdictionGeorgia · State
Judicial serviceActive

## Biography

### Professional career

- The Chief Judge of the Clayton County State Court in Georgia, a position she has held since joining the bench in 1995

### Education


### Additional information

- In 2023, Cowen announced her retirement after 27 years on the State Court bench.
- Cowen was President of the Council of State Court Judges in 2013 and has received awards such as the Award of Excellence (2014) from the Council of State Court Judges.
- She is recognized for her leadership in creating specialized court programs, including the Clayton County State Court DUI/Drug Court (2007) and the Mental Health Treatment Court
- In her farewell reflections, she noted the technological and procedural changes in the court system over her career
- Before becoming a judge, Cowen practiced civil and criminal law in Jonesboro, Georgia, for over a decade.

## Sources

Identity source checked August 25, 2026.
01
### Georgia Courts Directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 25, 2026
[View Georgia Courts Directory ↗](https://georgiacourts.knack.com/gcd2/#directory-entries/entry-details/58af022ace9168f520c4da5c/)

[Public Records & Data Use](/public-records-data-use) · [Corrections policy](/corrections)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [GA judicial conduct Rule 2.8 — courtroom order and courtesy](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-966932b4143407baf629735a) — State judicial courts only; published Code version February 1, 2024. Shared decorum baseline; does not establish complete court-specific practice. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.gasupreme.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Code-of-Judicial-Conduct-2024_02_01.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.