Judge Suspended, Reenters Rehab After 2 DUI Arrests

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

A devastating blow to his plans for reelection in June, the news was disclosed in a terse 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 statement did not indicate whether the action would be temporary or permanent, and Campbell would not reveal what led to it.

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

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

A judge for 13 years, Bradley was arrested in Ojai on Dec. 6 for 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 in Santa Paula on Jan. 3.

Bradley’s attorney has said the judge 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.