Judge Leaves Bench in Wake of 2 Arrests

Already under fire for two drunk-driving arrests within a month, Superior Court Judge Robert C. Bradley was relieved of his duties--at least temporarily--Tuesday and entered an alcohol treatment center for a second time.

A devastating blow to his hopes for reelection in June, the news was disclosed in a brief statement from court administrator Sheila Gonzalez.

“Presiding Judge Charles W. Campbell has relieved Judge Robert C. Bradley of his current assignments effective immediately. Judge Bradley has voluntarily reentered an alcohol rehabilitation program. There will be no further comment from the court at this time.”

The court did not say whether the action would be temporary or permanent, and Campbell would not reveal what led to it. However, court sources said the 56-year-old judge appeared to be inebriated while in his office Tuesday morning. Bradley had left before the scheduled start of the only case set for him Tuesday, and he was not available for comment.

The development raised urgent questions about how much longer the jurist, who is widely admired for his legal skills, could stay on the bench.

George Eskin, Bradley’s attorney, said he didn’t know the circumstances of the judge’s abrupt departure. He could not say whether Bradley still intends to seek reelection. But he suggested that Bradley ultimately would benefit from the break.

“The implications to him in terms of judging in the future, and of running for reelection, are of minor importance,” Eskin said. “I think he needs to put getting well ahead of all other considerations. It’s a matter of survival.”

Civil attorney Glen Reiser agreed.

Calling Bradley’s situation “somber and tragic,” he said he was glad that the judge had sought treatment again. He was skeptical about the prospect of Bradley campaigning.

“That is a personal decision for Judge Bradley, but I would be surprised at this point if he were to file papers,” said Reiser, who is considering running for the judgeship himself. Candidacy documents must be filed by Feb. 4.

A public defender, Gary Windom, has also expressed interest in running against Bradley. And, in addition to Reiser, other attorneys aligned with the county’s law-and-order establishment are considering a bid for the seat if the judge bows out.

Bradley’s latest arrest has triggered public calls for his resignation even from some members of the county’s customarily reserved legal community.

“He’s been an excellent judge, a very fine man,” said Kevin Staker, a Camarillo attorney who is on the board of the Ventura County Bar Assn. “However, I believe it is the best thing for the community, the judicial system, for his family, and for himself to not run for reelection. He should retire and get his life in order.”

Bradley had been approached as recently as Monday by attorneys who were concerned about his health and about the erosion of public faith in the court system. They asked him not to run again.

“He was shocked to learn there were prominent attorneys in the local bar who wanted to run against him,” said an attorney who met with him. “He said, ‘Have I ever been impaired in court? Have you ever heard of me being impaired?’ ”

Lawyers and judges had largely declined public comment on Bradley’s problems. Many sympathize with him and respect his abilities. But judges seldom openly criticize their colleagues, and lawyers are reluctant, fearing adverse rulings.

But Bradley’s travails have tested those attitudes.

“It makes it hard to defend him at this particular time,” one judge said.

Many will view Bradley’s removal and his return to treatment as a relief, said David Shain, a past president of the local bar.

“I think this is a painful issue for many members of the bar because he is recognized as an intelligent and compassionate judge, but there is a difficulty with public perception,” Shain said.

A judge for 13 years, Bradley was arrested on Dec. 6 in Ojai on suspicion of drunk driving. His blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, according to police reports.

After a monthlong treatment program, he was arrested again on Jan. 3 in Santa Paula. According to police, at one point during the arrest, he asked officers: “Do you know who I am? Do you know who I am?” He also had to be restrained by an officer when he tried to leave the police station while being fingerprinted, police said.

Because an investigation by the Ventura County district attorney’s office would pose obvious conflicts for prosecutors, the state attorney general’s office is investigating both cases. Through his attorney, Bradley has said he would plead guilty when the expected charges are filed in four to five weeks.

Meanwhile, the state Commission on Judicial Performance has mounted its own inquiry. The commission can suspend judges if it determines that “continued service of the judge is causing immediate, irreparable, and continuing public harm,” according to the state Constitution. That decision need not hinge on a criminal conviction.

Friends have cited marital difficulties and the death of his mother as possible causes for Bradley’s decline.

Whatever their roots, the judge’s problems have thrown open the race for his seat on the Superior Court--a rarity, as judgeships typically are not contested.

Deputy Public Defender Windom last week said he is considering a run in the nonpartisan race. Windom said he respects Bradley but believes his arrests would tarnish public faith in the court system.

“I think his ability is impaired, and I think the public will look at it the same way,” he said in an interview last week.

Windom failed in a 1992 bid for a seat on the Municipal Court. If he runs, Ventura County voters, who tend to be conservative, will be asked to add a public defender to a bench composed largely of former prosecutors.

A day after Windom indicated his interest, Reiser, a lawyer who represents the district attorney’s office in civil cases, said he would consider running if Bradley decides not to. But Reiser said he would drop out if Chief Assistant Dist. Atty. Kevin McGee decides to run.

Neither McGee nor Dist. Atty. Michael Bradbury could be reached for comment Tuesday.

The final list of candidates won’t be known until the Feb. 4 deadline. But even some of Bradley’s friends say they now hope his name won’t be among them--despite the judge’s assertion last week that he would be a candidate.

“I don’t think anyone appreciated the extent to which the disease had taken control,” Eskin said. “Maybe this is rock-bottom. Maybe it will turn out to be a blessing. It sounds like his system couldn’t have tolerated the pressures of an election campaign.”