Bradley and Rose Bird

Is Mayor Tom Bradley’s decision a cop-out or an act of courage?

Let us look at the facts. The polls indicate that the Bird issue is one of the hottest issues facing the electorate; the polls also indicate that a majority of the people polled do not favor the retention of Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird. Most “smart” politicians know that they should ordinarily listen to the voice of the people and give due regard to the polls.

Why then has Bradley chosen to go against rather than with the tide? Could it be because the issue looming before us is not an ordinary issue, but one that is extraordinary and too vital to justify political expediency?

We should not lose sight of the fact that the real issue here is not Chief Justice Bird per se, but whether the administration of justice should be politicized and be subject to the pressures of people-power. Integrity in the administration of justice is worthy of any price, and any attempt to dilute that integrity should be stemmed.

The decision to be pro-Bird, anti-Bird or neutral-Bird should not be determined by the political climate of the time nor the polls of the people, but rather by the gravity of the issue before the public. The gravity and gravamen of the issue before us is the right to administer justice according to one’s own understanding of the law, without external pressures from any source.

“Vox populi, vox Dei” (the voice of the people is the voice of God) was once the chant of some powerful people of yesterday. We remember too well how this chant drove those people to commit grave injustice on others. Somehow I seem to hear another chant rising today from another great people--”the voice of the people is the voice of justice.” It seems that this tide should be stemmed while we can.

Justice is too sacred to permit it to be tainted by the clamor of the crowd. It is no accident that the place where judges deliberate is called “chambers”--they need to be protected from the influence of external echoes while searching for an honest interpretation of the laws. Let us preserve this.

If Mayor Bradley’s decision is based on a desire to preserve the integrity of the process of justice, then his decision can hardly be said to be a cop-out, but rather is an act of courage.

The price of true leadership is often self-sacrifice.

HANDEL FITZ-HENLEY

Los Angeles