Mike Bowers Michael Joseph Bowers ( born 1942 ) was a long - serving Attorney General of Georgia before mounting an unsuccessful campaign for Georgia Governor . He now practices law with Balch & Bingham in Atlanta , Georgia . Early life . Bowers was born in Commerce , Georgia . He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1963 and served in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1970 . He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1974 , and then worked as an assistant state attorney general until his appointment as attorney general in 1981 . Running as the incumbent attorney general on the Democratic ticket , he was elected in his own right in 1982 . He was re - elected in 1986 and 1990 . In early 1994 , he quit the Democratic Party to become a Republican , and won re - election again later that year . He resigned as attorney general in June 1997 to run for the Republican nomination for governor in 1998 . Attorney General . Bowers was known as a very active attorney general . He did not come from a privileged background and his public service exhibited a populist flair . He vigorously opposed conflicts of interest by public officials and contractors that might undermine loyalty to the citizenry and the public ' s confidence in state government . For instance , despite fierce opposition from entrenched interests , Bowers was successful in convincing the courts that , due to an inherent conflict of interest , state legislators who were lawyers could not sue the state . Corruption fighter . Bowers vigorously opposed public corruption . His targets included long - serving Georgia Labor Commissioner Sam Caldwell , whom he prosecuted for fraud . Bowers also prosecuted powerful highway construction companies for bid - rigging practices that were anti - competitive . At the end of his tenure , one newspaper described Bowers ' service as follows : " Unquestioned integrity and dedication to principles have been hallmarks of his administration , even though his unwillingness to compromise has angered politicians and constituents . " Another well - known Georgia political commentator stated that in Bowers " we have come to expect an unconstrained , outspoken and active attorney general . " Affair . Bowers ' political ambitions were derailed when , during his campaign for the 1998 Republican gubernatorial nomination , he admitted to a decade - long extramarital affair with his employee and secretary , a former Playboy Club waitress . The woman , Anne Davis , stated that the romance had been active as recently as six weeks prior to Bowers ' June 5 , 1997 , announcement . Bowers went on to lose the 1998 Republican primary to Guy Millner , finishing with 39 . 92 percent of the vote compared with Millner ' s 50 . 38 percent . " Bowers v . Hardwick " . Bowers controversially performed the duties of his office by defending the constitutionality of a Georgia criminal sodomy statute in a test case brought by the ACLU . The plaintiff was Michael Hardwick , a man who had been arrested by the Atlanta Police Department on charges including violation of the state sodomy statute . ( Hardwick had engaged in consensual sex in the privacy of his own home . ) The relevant county district attorney refused to prosecute the case , but the courts ruled that Hardwick nevertheless had standing to challenge the constitutionality of the statute . The United States Supreme Court upheld the statute in " Bowers v . Hardwick " ( 1986 ) . The Georgia statute that Michael Hardwick had challenged was overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court in a subsequent case in 1998 . The U . S . Supreme Court later overturned its " Bowers " ruling in a 2003 decision , " Lawrence v . Texas " , in which it stated that " " Bowers " was not correct when it was decided , and it is not correct today . " Bowers has declined further comment on the case , saying " I did my job as best I knew how , and reasonable people can disagree about it , but that ’ s all I want to say about it now . " " Shahar v . Bowers " . Bowers faced controversy again in 1991 when he rescinded a hiring offer to a lesbian , Robin Shahar , for an assistant attorney general position because she had stated that she planned to participate in a religious ceremony of which Bowers did not approve . ( Shahar planned a same - sex marriage ceremony with the blessing of her Jewish faith . ) Bowers claimed that Shahar ' s sexual orientation would prevent her from enforcing the state ' s sodomy law . Shahar sued Bowers , but the courts ruled that Bowers had not violated her constitutional rights in rescinding the job offer . Private practice . Since leaving public office , Bowers has entered private practice . In one notable case , he successfully sued Fulton County , Georgia for " reverse " discrimination against several white library employees who were given job reassignments because of their race . ( Fulton County eventually settled for $ 18 million . ) Bowers successfully led the merger of his Atlanta - based firm into the larger Alabama - based firm of Balch & Bingham in June , 2003 . In 2003 , Bowers started a government relations and lobbying firm with his son Bruce Bowers and John Watson , the political consultant for Georgia ' s then - governor , Sonny Perdue . Bowers said they had a simple objective : " to make money . "