metro
Bernstein Wins
Bid For State
Supreme Court
R
ichard Bernstein of
Birmingham was elected a
Michigan Supreme Court
judge in the Nov. 4 election, where
he garnered nearly 1.3 million votes
in the statewide race. Incumbents
Brian Zahra and David Viviano also
won to retain their seats.
Bernstein, blind since birth, ran
with the campaign slogan, "Blind
Justice carrying a double-edged
meaning referring to his own blind-
ness and the fact that real justice
should be blind, he said.
"It has very sig-
nificant meaning:'
he told the IN. "At
end of the day, the
values I bring to
the judicial system
and this position
is simply the idea
Richard
of blind justice. If
Bernstein
you look at Jewish
values and teach-
ings, justice must always be blind
because only through blindness do
we have fairness for all people.
"Vision can be our greatest distrac-
tion:' he said. "If you are blind, you
are able to keep your focus on the
real meaning, on real things without
being effected by the external:'
A member of the well-known
Bernstein family of attorneys with
offices in Farmington Hills, the new
Supreme Court justice started the
firm's public service division and is
known for his pro bono work.
He also has been on the pages of
the JN for stories that detail his per-
sonal and professional perseverance.
He has run nearly 20 marathons,
completed an Iron Man competition
and sued New York City to make
Central Park safer for those with dis-
abilities after he was hit by a cyclist
two years ago.
Bernstein believes his particular
circumstances will benefit him in his
new position.
"I bring a unique perspective, a
unique set of life experiences to this
multi-judge panel," he said. "I have
been blessed with struggles, obstacles
and some difficulties and, through
these challenges, I've come to appre-
ciate the hardships others face.
"We all feel we've been counted
out. What this comes to teach me is
that you take those challenges and
allow for those unique life experi-
ences and bring them to the discus-
sions. It allows us to better serve all
people:' ❑
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November 13 • 2014
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