By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
The Jewish community’s opinions appear to mirror the state’s in support of Supreme Court Justice Bobbe Bridge. Bridge’s drunken driving arrest has drawn comments ranging from sympathy to demands for her resignation. Many say, however, that her mistake should not cost her career.
Bridge was arrested for driving under the influence on Feb. 28 in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. According to the police report, witnesses said Bridge had been weaving in her lane and continued driving after she sideswiped a parked vehicle. A witness blocked her in and she stopped the car, the report said. She was arrested at the scene.
The report also noted that Bridge’s eyes were “red and watery,” and she had “a strong odor of alcohol on her breath.” The report showed her blood alcohol content tested at .219 and .227. Washington’s legal limit is .08.
Bridge has not publicly addressed the Jewish community about her situation, and attorney Jeffery Robinson’s office told the Transcript that she would not be making any additional statements this week. The general statement in which she admitted full responsibility for her actions has been widely reported on since the arrest.
At Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, where Bridge and her family have been longtime members, Rabbi Daniel Weiner emphasized that the way has handled the situation shows why she should retain her position.
“She is dealing with this issue in the highest Jewish manner, in the sense that she is publicly confronting the matter,” Weiner said. “I commend the way she has embraced this issue.”
When asked about how Bridge’s arrest would be handled in his congregation, Weiner replied that this was an individual’s problem, and would not be addressed to the De Hirsch Sinai membership as a whole.
“We all are flesh and blood, and are susceptible to error in judgment,” Weiner said. “The issue is how we deal with those mistakes when they are made.”
Neither Weiner nor Rob Spitzer, board president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and a former colleague of Justice Bridge, condemned Bridge’s actions outright.
“Bobbe Bridge is one of the members of the bar that I’m most proud of, and one of the members of our community that I’m most proud of,” said Spitzer. The two worked together at the law firm Garvey Schubert Barer until Bridge was appointed to the bench in 1990.
Spitzer said he hasn’t spoken to her since the arrest, but he pointed to the work Bridge has done in the past for underprivileged people both inside and out of the Jewish community.
This includes spearheading reforms in children’s welfare and social services from her judicial position to donations to agencies that help women and jobless people in her private life.
“She has been incredibly loyal to the Jewish community of Greater Seattle as well as for those without voices,” Spitzer said.
Not everyone believes Bridge should remain in office, however. Robert Shay, administrator of Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s video collection and a contributor to the Transcript, said “she should resign immediately.”
Shay is acquainted with Bridge’s family and expressed sympathy for them. However, he noted that she should have known better than to get into a car, and that she should take a look at her life, “get it right, and come back.”
Bridge has made it clear that she has no intention of resigning her office, but the possibility exists that the Commission on Judicial Conduct, an independent agency that was formed to oversee judicial misconduct, could make that choice for her.
According to Barrie Althoff, executive director of the commission, the public would be unaware of any proceedings against Bridge unless the commission had a finding of guilty or if Bridge signed a stipulation that would impose consequences on her. If the commission were to find no cause for punishment, the record would be expunged and the investigation would remain private.
“A person has certain rights under a criminal investigation,” Althoff said. “We don’t want a person in a position that could ultimately be used against them.”
Every member of Seattle’s Jewish community interviewed for this report — on and off the record — sought to focus on the positive work Bridge has done over the years and her achievements in both the Jewish and legal communities.
Given the seriousness of her actions, and with her future on the bench in question, the way she has handled herself throughout her career could make the difference in how she weathers this storm.