By JERRY WOLFFE
Attorney Richard Bernstein said his being blind from birth
and becoming a voice for the voiceless in society will add to the fairness and
perspective of the Michigan Supreme Court if he wins a seat in the Nov. 4
election.
“We can’t have the same kind of people” on the court said
the Birmingham resident who was born blind and has filed dozens of civil rights
cases on behalf of people with disabilities.
“Vision is a great distraction” to justice, he said in an
exclusive interview Tuesday with this reporter who has written a “Voices of
Disability” column for 15 years and wrote about Bernstein’s legal successes in
making Detroit buses more accessible, Detroit Metropolitan Airport more aware
of the needs of those with disabilities and seniors and the University of
Michigan Stadium comply with the Americans with Disabilities Architectural
Guidelines in a nationally followed lawsuit.
“People who are blind are not distracted by the types of
things that create prejudice,” he said. “A good justice is a good listener.
Blind people are inherently good listeners.”
Bernstein said those who criticize him for not having experience
as a judge should consider some of the best Supreme Court Justices in America
never worked behind the bench, including the late Supreme Court Chief Justice
Earl Warren and Associate Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“A justice has to have unique life experience,” Bernstein
said. “All the voices must be represented,” he said. “I am going to represent
the idea of fairness. It (courts) must be fair to all people who come before
the court. And, you only have fairness when all perspectives are at the table.”
Since he started campaigning for the court, Bernstein has
criss-crossed the state.
“I’ve ran this race like I’ve run the 18 marathons and
Ironman competition I have completed,” he said. “I believe I can make a
positive difference in everyone’s life and this gives me the energy and impetus
to push ahead.”
“Every one of our cases taught the general society that
‘what is good for those with disabilities is good for everyone.’ The work that
we have done has transformed lives for everyone. I will approach the job of
being a justice with fairness, tenacity and resolve to do what needs to be done
no matter how difficult it may be.”
Jerry Wolffe is the
writer-in-residence, advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center.
He can be reached at 586 263-8950.
