Richard Howard Bernstein (born November 9, 1974) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

since 2015. He practiced at

The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein The Sam Bernstein Law Firm, formerly known as The Law Offices of Sam Bernstein and The Law Offices of Samuel I. Bernstein, is an American law firm, located in Farmington Hills, Michigan.Jones, Jane Schreier. Positively Detroit: 12. The firm spe ...

, his father's law office, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, before being elected to the

. He was an adjunct professor at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Cullari, Francine. "Richard Bernstein." Michigan Bar Journal, Jan 2006: 34. and served on the

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

Board of Governors for one eight-year term, including two years as vice chair and two more as chair until deciding not to seek re-election in 2010 for a second term beginning in 2011.Henkel, Karl. "Bernstein won't run for re-election: After eight years, chair says goodbye in December." The South End. September 30, 2010. In November 2014, Bernstein was elected to serve an 8-year term on the Michigan Supreme Court. Bernstein has been classified as legally blind since birth as a result of

retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a member of a group of genetic disorders called inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) that cause loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visua ...

.Brantley, McKinzie. "Attorney Richard Bernstein keeps his promise." The Detroit News. July 21, 2010. http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/disabilitiesblog/index.php#ixzz0uLjhQ0mn

Education

Bernstein attended Andover High School in the Bloomfield Hills School District of

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Bloomfield Hills is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, and is ...

. In 1996, he received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from the

, where he was

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to the area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of educa ...

and student body president of the College of Literature, Science and Arts.Wright, Shawn. "Farewell, Bernstein." The South End. December 7, 2010 http://www.thesouthend.wayne.edu/index.php/m/article/2010/12/farewell_bernstein For the ability to enter

Northwestern University School of Law The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (formerly known as Northwestern University School of Law from 1891 to 2015) is the law school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university. The law school is l ...

, Bernstein fought the Law School Admissions Council against the "visual bias" of the

Law School Admission Test The Law School Admission Test (LSAT ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension and logical reasoning. The test is ...

(

LSAT The Law School Admission Test (LSAT ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension and logical reasoning. The test is ...

), claiming the test discriminates against the blind because of its requirements for interpreting visual material. He argued the test was no barometer of success in law school. Four universities agreed:

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

, the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. At the time he was admitted, he was the only blind person in the law school. To complete his studies, Bernstein would memorize lectures and have notes read to him to memorize. For tests, he memorized test questions and entire fact patterns (the basis for the questions), some of which would be as long as 5 pages. The fact patterns would be repeatedly read to him until he committed the entire question to memory and could then provide an answer. He reportedly worked seven days a week for 13 hours each day. He received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

in 1999.

Career

Bernstein joined the Law Offices of Sam Bernstein after graduating from Northwestern University School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in the states of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Much of Bernstein's legal work has focused on protecting the rights of people with disabilities, which is done pro bono. He successfully represented disabled Detroit residents in 2004 in an action against the City of Detroit to fix wheelchair lifts on buses as required by federal legislation. He also represented the

Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America was established in 1946 with the goal of serving the needs of disabled veterans. The organization was created to assist members, such as veterans of the armed forces living with spinal cord injuries or diseases l ...

in 2007 in an action against the University of Michigan for failing to include adequate accommodations for spectators with disabilities when planning renovations for the stadium. The suit resulted in increased seating for people with disabilities and their companions and enhanced accessible parking, restrooms and concessions. Also in 2007, Bernstein filed a lawsuit on behalf of people with disabilities, asserting that

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its county seat, seat of government is Pontiac, Mic ...

violated the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

because its road construction plans did not include mechanisms for people with visual impairments, people in wheelchairs and others with disabilities to safely cross the street at

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

s. The County eventually agreed to install special safety equipment so that pedestrians, with or without disabilities, can activate traffic signals to stop traffic and get visual and audio confirmation that vehicles actually stopped, before crossing roundabout intersections.

Career notable cases

International work

In June 2010, Bernstein visited

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

through OneFamily Fund in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

to meet with survivors of

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

attacks in

Sderot Sderot (, , ; , sometimes Romanized as "Sederot") is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza St ...

."Detroiter's Message of healing to Sderot: Blind disabled rights advocate encourages Israeli terror victims." Detroit Jewish News. July 11, 2010. OneFamily Fund is an organization working to raise awareness for the effects of terrorism on the people of Israel and provides direct financial, legal and emotional assistance to terror victims. Bernstein was invited to discuss his advocacy work, fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, and how victims of terror can cope with disabilities caused by the attacks they have experienced. In the fall of 2010, Bernstein was asked by the government of

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

to participate in a speaking tour demonstrating the abilities and possible achievements of disabled people to rally support for disabled rights."Advocating Disabled Rights." Detroit Jewish News. December 23, 2010. While in the country, he spoke to mainstream media and Ecuadorian universities, including

Colegio Americano de Quito The Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito or Colegio Americano de Quito (American School of Quito) is a private college preparatory school in Quito, Ecuador. In 1940 it was founded by the former president of Ecuador and the president of the Organ ...

. Following his work in Israel and Ecuador, Bernstein also has visited

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, the Gold Coast,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

discussing special education and/or athletics programs promoting greater inclusion as part of his advocacy for disabled rights. In 2013, he did 20 speaking engagements in 10 days to the audiences throughout Australia and London. Returning to Australia in March 2014, he did a series of events, one of which was at the annual Gawith Lecture put on by Inclusion Melbourne. The trip included a visit to Victoria for a bipartisan lunch at Parliament House in

Victoria (Australia) Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a States and territories of Australia, state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), ...

, where he gave an address focused on inclusiveness for individuals with disabilities. He also gave a keynote speech at the Maccabi Victoria All Abilities Project Launch in

Armadale, Victoria Armadale is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington Local government areas of Victoria, ...

and spoke at the Milk and Honey Café in Caulfield as part of the Access Inspiration Series, in which he was accompanied by Member for Caulfield David Southwick MP.

Campaign for Michigan Attorney General

In 2010, Richard Bernstein ran for the Democratic Nomination for

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in the

State of Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He ran on a platform of public advocacy and active litigation, facing primary opponent David Leyton. The two faced off at the endorsing convention on April 17, 2010. Bernstein lost the

Michigan Democratic Party The Michigan Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Curtis Hertel Jr. is the party's current chair. Structure Residents of the state of Michigan at least 16 years of age are ...

endorsement to Leyton in one of the closest races for the Democratic nomination in the state, with a slim margin of just 153.6 proportional votes.

Michigan Supreme Court

In 2014, Richard Bernstein ran for Supreme Court, and won. He received 29 percent of the statewide vote, receiving 1.29 million votes. He began his term January 2015, working in Lansing, Michigan.

Controversies

In 2023, Bernstein drew controversy after Michigan Supreme Court Justice

Kyra Harris Bolden Kyra Harris Bolden (born July 31, 1988) is an American judge, politician, and civil litigation attorney. She has served as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court since January 1, 2023. Bolden was a Democratic member of the Michigan Ho ...

hired Pete Martel, who spent fourteen years in prison for armed robbery before attending Wayne State University School of Law, as a law clerk. Bernstein publicly stated that he was "completely disgusted" by Bolden's decision to hire Martel as a law clerk and claimed that he and Justice Bolden "don't share the same values." He also claimed that Bolden's decision to hire Martel would reflect poorly on the entire court and that it was not "fair to the police and the prosecutors" to have a convicted felon working for the court. Bolden confirmed that Martel had resigned from his position as a law clerk due to Bernstein's comments and explained that Martel "did not want to be a distraction or in any way divert the court from its important work." On January 9, 2023, Bernstein issued a statement saying he apologized to Justice Kyra Harris Bolden in person at the Hall of Justice and that she accepted his apology. In 2008 a spoof of the Bernstein Law Firm television ads began to appear on the internet in the Detroit Metro Area. The spoof was part of a series of ad spoofs entitled "Not So Pure Michigan". In the spoof Richard "Goldstein" of the "Goldstein Law Firm", Bernstein is mockingly shown as a severely disabled man. The ad drew quick criticism from many members of the public; Bernstein, however, took no offense, even thinking it funny.

Public life

Bernstein was elected during a Michigan statewide election to the

Board of Governors in November 2002 at the age of 28. In February 2009, the Board unanimously voted Bernstein as its chair; he previously served two years as Vice Chair. His term on the Board concluded at the end of 2010. He is reported as the first blind person to run for statewide office in Michigan. Among Bernstein's initiatives as chair of the Board of Governors, he led the Board in unanimously passing a resolution in September 2009 regarding the

Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle is a series of e-readers designed and marketed by Amazon. Amazon Kindle devices enable users to browse, buy, download, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines, Audible audiobooks, and other digital media via wireless networking ...

reader. The action was prompted by a federal lawsuit filed by the

National Federation of the Blind The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in that country. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland. Overview An ...

,Wolffe, Jerry. "County emerges as hotbed in battle for civil rights of disabled." The Oakland Press. January 1, 2010. based in Baltimore, in partnership with the

American Council of the Blind The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a nationwide organization in the United States. It is an organization mainly made up of blind and visually impaired people who want to achieve independence and equality (although there are many sighted ...

against

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, to block the university from using the Kindle as a way to distribute electronic textbooks, stating the devices are not accessible by blind students.Associated Press. "Kindle to get audible menus, bigger font." Posted on NBC News December 7, 2009. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34317256 The Board passed a resolution asking Amazon to make the Kindle user-friendly for blind studentsErb, Robin. "Activists praise Amazon.com for plan to give Kindle sound." Detroit Free Press. December 10, 2009 and forbid the use of Kindle e-books at Wayne State University until they were made accessible to visually impaired students. After WSU's resolution, the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

stopped the use of Kindles on campus. On December 7, 2009, Amazon announced it would add audible menus and extra large fonts to make its e-book more accessible to blind and vision impaired students. Bernstein was the creator and host of the segment, "Making a Difference," which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. The show featured community volunteers in the Detroit metropolitan area. He also has contributed to ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...

'' and the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

''. Announced on September 13, 2011, Bernstein and Pulitzer Prize winner Angelo Henderson co-host together a one-hour legal radio show called "Fighting for Justice" on

WCHB WCHB (1340 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Royal Oak, Michigan, and serving the Detroit metropolitan area. It broadcasts an urban gospel radio format and is owned by Crawford Broadcasting. The station is a reporter to Billboar ...

(1200) in Metro Detroit. Bernstein has taught a political science course on law and social change in the political science department at the

Personal life

In his spare time, Bernstein is a runner, completing 17 marathons, including marathons in New York, Detroit, Jerusalem, Miami and Los Angeles,Rosenbaum, Philip and O'Beirne, Jonathan. "Blind attorney proves he's made of iron." CNN.com. November 4, 2008. https://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/11/04/blind.ironman/ before being severely injured by a speeding cyclist in Central Park in August 2012. On Sunday, November 3, 2013, he completed his 18th marathon in New York City. At the age of 34, he completed the

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consid ...

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( ; ) is a city and the county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the most populous city in North Idaho and the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 54,628 at th ...

on June 22, 2008.O'Meara, Dan. "Bernstein achieves Ironman status." Farmington Observer. July 3, 2008. The Ironman includes a bike ride, marathon and swim, without a break. Bernstein finished the Ironman in 14 hours and 36 minutes. In October 2009, Bernstein ran the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank marathon with athletes from Wayne State University serving as his guides. At the age of 37, Bernstein completed the Half Israman triathlon, a competition like the Ironman, taking place in

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

in January 2011. The Half Israman consists of a 1.9 km swim in the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, a 90 km cycle and a 21.1 km run. Bernstein completed the triathlon, as the competition's first blind competitor, with the assistance of a pilot of the

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...

, part of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

Awards and honors

Bernstein has received recognition from various organizations for his work as a lawyer. He was named a 2009 Leader in the Law by

Michigan Lawyers Weekly ''Michigan Lawyers Weekly'', published in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is a statewide newspaper for the legal profession. The paper publishes each Monday, 52 weeks a year. History ''Michigan Lawyers Weekly'', founded in 1986, was first publishe ...

, Bernstein received the "Michiganian of the Year" award from The Detroit News, identified as one of

Crain's Detroit Business Crain Communications Inc. is an American publishing conglomerate based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, with 13 foreign subsidiaries. History Gustavus Dedman "G.D." Crain Jr. ( Gustavus Demetrious Crain Jr.; 1885–1973), previously the ci ...

' "40 Under 40" and selected by The Young Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan as the 2003–2004 Regeana Myrick Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recipient. In 2006, he won

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's "Keeping Them Honest" award for his legal work on behalf of

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

users in Detroit. He also was awarded the John W. Cummiskey Pro Bono Award from the

State Bar of Michigan The State Bar of Michigan is the governing body for lawyers in the State of Michigan. Membership is mandatory for attorneys who practice law in Michigan. The organization's mission is to aid in promoting improvements in the administration of ju ...

in 2008. On February 8, 2012, Bernstein was announced as one of "Brooks' Elite 40 Under 40" by County Executive

L. Brooks Patterson Lewis Brooks Patterson (January 4, 1939 – August 3, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician who served as County Executive of Oakland County, Michigan, from 1992 until his death in 2019. While often controversial, he was known for the succe ...

. He has earned various awards for his community involvement, including the Spirit of Detroit Award from the

Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...

for his work establishing the Sarcoidosis Center of Excellence, a Special Recognition Award from the Macomb Intermediate School District for advocacy on behalf students with disabilities and their parents, the Children's Advocate Award from the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Founded in 1893, the NCJW describes itself as the oldest Jewish women's grassroots organization organization in the USA and currently has over 225,000 members. ...

for his advocacy work that benefited disadvantaged children, and a Volunteer of the Year from the Jewish Home and Aging Services. On October 28, 2011, Bernstein received the University of Michigan 2011 James T. Neubacher Award, presented by U-M Regent

Julia Donovan Darlow Julia Donovan Darlow is an American attorney who is a Regent Emerita of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. Education Darlow earned her J.D. in 1971 from Wayne State University School of Law. She had previously earned an A.B. in histo ...

, for demonstrating exceptional leadership and advocacy in generating awareness and acceptance for disabled rights. On April 26, 2013, Bernstein was awarded the Toastmaster Communication and Leadership Award by

Toastmasters International Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping people develop communication, public speaking, and leadership skills. History On 24 March 1905, Dr ...

for using his leadership and communication experience to achieve his goals. For his athletic efforts, Bernstein was honored by the Michigan Governor's Council on Physical Fitness for overcoming great challenges and continuing to pursue physical activity as a daily routine. In 2010, he was honored by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame with the Tony Filippis Courage Award for his athleticism despite his disability.Foster, Terry
"During Michigan Hall of Fame gala, Ex-Lion Herman Moore sounds off on controversial call."
The Detroit News. September 14, 2010. He was inducted into the

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...

on April 21, 2013. The Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

Task Force Inc. selected Bernstein for the President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Equality Award because of his advocacy in the disabled community.

References

External links

Campaign Website

Supreme Court Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Richard H. 1974 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American judges American activists with disabilities American blind people American disability rights activists American lawyers with disabilities American male triathletes American marathon runners American politicians with disabilities Blind activists Blind lawyers Blind politicians Blind scholars and academics Jewish American track and field athletes Jews from Michigan Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court Michigan Democrats Michigan lawyers Politicians from Detroit University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni University of Michigan faculty Wayne State University people