Every Thursday is a new beginning for Justice Richard H Bernstein. It is on this day of the week that Bernstein, the first visually-impaired judge to be elected to the Supreme Court of Michigan in the United States, starts memorising case transcripts, precedents and other references of the 26 cases to be heard and ruled on every Wednesday, along with six other judges.
“It is like giving an exam each week. On Wednesdays, we have 26 cases on our conference agenda. We hear the most complicated, challenging cases that affect the state of Michigan. These could include a criminal case, where someone is facing life imprisonment without any possibility of parole, or civil cases related to environment, consumer rights, billions of dollars of taxes. The stakes are high for this position,” he says, when we meet him in Mumbai, where he spoke about disability. The preparation for it, therefore, begins the day after the hearings conclude. Bernstein, assisted by six clerks — the other judges get five clerks — “memorises and internalises” each case, as well as other judgments for and against his argument.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/justice-richard-h-bernstein-on-how-people-with-disabilities-make-for-good-judges/
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