Richard Bernstein is the only blind State Supreme Court
judge in the nation and the youngest member of Michigan’s highest court. He is
also an internationally sought out speaker on disability rights. The judge has
more invitations than time to speak about his experiences as blind attorney,
judge and athlete. He’s completed 20 marathons and an Ironman Triathlon (consisting
of a 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile marathon and a 2.4-mile swim).
Weather permitting, Bernstein laces up a good pair of
walking shoes and embarks on a six-hour walk. He leaves before 6:30 a.m. and by
lunch not only has he walked a ridiculous number of miles (he doesn’t keep
track) but he has also returned phone calls, prepared for an upcoming speaking
engagement and meticulously reviewed court documents over the phone with his
law clerk…
Bernstein, who grew up and still lives in a suburb of
Detroit, described school as challenging, especially law school. When he
applied to college, his dream was to attend the University of Michigan. Despite
his keen intellectual abilities, he didn’t meet the grade criteria.
“My high school guidance counselor told the admissions
office that he would ‘stake his reputation on my application.’ Because he was
willing to do that, the University of Michigan gave me a chance,” recalled
Bernstein, who became a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of this prestigious university
and later served as an adjunct professor in the political science department.
When it came time to apply to law school, he received a
number of rejection letters because he scored poorly on the standardized law
school admissions test (LSAT).
The dean of admissions at Northwestern University School of
Law agreed with Bernstein’s position that the test has a visual bias and
accepted him without a satisfactory LSAT score.
“I don’t consider myself very smart, but I work hard,"
Bernstein told the Times of Israel. There are some people I went to school with
who were naturally book smart, talented, and everything came to them easily. I
wasn’t like that. For me, nothing is natural, it just comes with incredible
effort.”…
Bernstein described his law school experience, particularly
his first year, as one of the most overwhelmingly intense struggles of his
life. Every day was a tremendous challenge, he said. There were several
occasions where he considered dropping out.
“What my classmates could accomplish in an hour took me five
hours to complete,” recalled Bernstein. “I studied seven days a week without
taking a break. It took so long and required so much effort and intensity. It’s
impossible to explain just how intense it was.” But with unyielding hours of
hard work and the support of classmates and professors, Bernstein overcame one
of his biggest struggles, graduating from Northwestern in 1999.
Thirteen years later, the judge would experience another
seemingly insurmountable hurdle. On a particularly hot August day, Bernstein
was taking one of his long walks – this one through New York’s Central Park –
when he was struck from behind by a speeding cyclist. The accident left him
with a shattered hip and crushed pelvis. Hospitalized in New York for 10 weeks,
the justice’s life took on greater challenges, including learning to walk and
finding ways to adjust to chronic pain…
Although Bernstein could have felt sorry for himself,
especially since he always used athletics to find his inner strength, he
maintained his level of tenacity by striving to make the best out of his new
situation. Despite initial feelings of sadness, once he realized that a full
recovery was not possibly, he changed his way of thinking and looked for ways
to best adapt.
“As you go through life it’s fine to be disappointed and
frustrated but you have to make the decision at a certain point that you are
going to focus on getting on with it. You’re not happy about it but you have to
find purpose and reason so you dedicate yourself to doing something good. An
easy life does not necessarily equal a good one. Often those who walk among us
and know struggle will lead the most productive, the most inspiring and the
most meaningful lives,” said the judge who completed three of his 20 marathons
after the accident…
“Life is about fullness, not happiness. That’s the secret.
You have to have a mission. I am going to be working 15 hours today and while
it’s exhausting, we’re going to be making a difference and having a huge
impact,” he said.
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