[nfbmi-talk] not nation's first blind justice

[joe harcz Comcast]

Bernstein ready to take on role as nation’s first blind justice

 Richard Bernstein in his office at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm in Farmington Hills. Bernstein was just elected judge to the Michigan Supreme Court. Thursday,

November 6, 2014. Tim Thompson-The Oakland Press

 

By

Carol Hopkins,

The Oakland Press

 

Posted: 11/07/14, 1:31 PM EST | Updated: 1 day ago

# Comments

Richard Bernstein, left, speaks with his campaign manager Mike O'Meara at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm in Farmington Hills. Bernstein was just elected judge

to the Michigan Supreme Court. Thursday, November 6, 2014. Tim Thompson-The Oakland Press

 

FYI

 

Learn about the Michigan Supreme Court

online

at courts.mi.gov.

 

Late in the afternoon the day after winning his first seat on the Michigan Supreme Court, Richard Bernstein admitted he hadn’t slept.

 

Yet he was exuberant, exhilerated.

 

“I’m going to honor the trust the voters have given me,” said Bernstein, 40, a disability rights attorney who resides in Birmingham.

 

“I will never let them down.”

 

Bernstein, blind from birth, will head to his new offices in Lansing in January to serve for the next eight years –– the first blind jurist to any U.S.

high court.

 

He campaigned using the slogan, blind justice, in his literature and speeches.

 

“It was a fun slogan, and witty,” he said.

 

“Justice needs to be blind. People understand it means fairness.”

 

He crisscrossed Michigan covering thousands of miles for the campaign, taking only two days off, he said –– Rosh Hashanah and and Yom Kippur.

 

Running as a Democrat, he said he was outspent 10 to 1, funding his campaign with his own money, approximately $1.8 million.

 

He plans to commute to court in Lansing from Birmingham each day.

 

“I learned if you want to do a statewide race, you have to love people. I love people,” he said.

 

“You have to really want to have that connection. You have to have an incredible amount of love and energy.”

 

His last name, Bernstein, was familiar to voters who, for years, had heard advertisements for the law firm operated by his attorney father, Sam Bernstein.

 

Richard Bernstein said he hoped voters connected the name with his own public service work.

 

Case history

 

Richard established and led the Public Service Division of the Sam Bernstein Law Firm.

 

That division, according to the firm, won landmark civil rights claims for the disabled in courts across the nation. Clients were not charged a fee for

this work.

 

He earned his law degree at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago.

 

He represented the Paralyzed Veterans of America in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice in an action against the University of Michigan to allow

for safe access for disabled people when stadium upgrades failed to accommodate disabled visitors.

 

He also partnered with the Department of Justice to force Detroit to fix broken wheelchair lifts on its buses.

 

In a recent settlement against Delta Airlines and Detroit Metro Airport, Richard Bernstein gained accessibility for disabled fliers.

 

In 2013, Richard was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame after completing 18 marathons – including eight New York City marathons.

 

Jerry Wolffe, Macomb Oakland Regional Center’s disability rights advocate, has known Bernstein for years.

 

“He will fight for everyone, those with disabilities, seniors and the underdog in our society because he knows what it is like to have faced discrimination

and beat it head on,” said Wolffe, who writes the The Oakland Press’ “Voices of Disability” column.

 

“His slogan, ‘justice is blind,’ is true - and this Justice will bring the light of reason and fairness to Michigan’s highest court.”

 

Bernstein has never served as a judge, and he said many others have come to the 7-person court that way.

 

“In this situation, having no experience can be an advantage. Folks like me bring a unique life experience to the panel,” he said. “It’s critical everyone’s

voice is heard.”

 

About the Author

Carol Hopkins

 

Carol Hopkins covers Waterford and White Lake townships. She has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, and she worked as a senior

editor for Detroit Monthly magazine and as a reporter for The Oakland Press since 2003. Reach the author at

carol.hopkins at oakpress.com

or follow Carol on Twitter:

@OPCarolHopkins.

 

Source:

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20141107/bernstein-ready-to-take-on-role-as-nations-first-blind-justice