John Bielski, Willig, Williams & Davidson

In 2012, the Philadelphia Public Interest Law Center asked Willig, Williams & Davidson to write an amicus brief in its case, Applewhite v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The case concerned a state constitutional challenge to the Pennsylvania General Assembly's enactment of Voter ID statute, requiring residents to present a certain type of photo identification before voting. This requirement would have disenfranchised many otherwise eligible Pennsylvania voters who could not afford or obtain the necessary identification—a burden that fell most heavily on urban, low income, minority, elderly, and disable voters. This statute was nominally passed to protect against purported voter fraud.

Bielski, a partner at the law firm Willig, Williams & Davidson, was asked to take the lead in drafting a brief on behalf of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO challenging the statute. With input from colleagues, he tirelessly drafted and filed two briefs in support of Applewhite during this litigation: one supporting a request for a preliminary injunction of the Voter ID law before the Commonwealth Court (which was denied) and another request seeking a reversal of the Commonwealth Court's decision before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (which was granted). Ultimately, on remand to the Commonwealth Court, the statute was preliminarily enjoined throughout the 2012 election, and permanently enjoined a year later. As a result, the Voter ID statute has no force of law, and the General Assembly never sought to reenact it.

As argued in Bielski's brief, the Voter ID law undermined the right to vote-the most fundamental right of a democratic citizenry. That right is enshrined in the Pennsylvania Constitution in its Free and Equal Elections provision—a version of which has existed since the original state constitution was drafted and adopted in 1776. 

The results of this case had a great impact on the law, because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Commonwealth Court ultimately found the Voter ID law violated the fundamental right to vote and enjoined its enforcement. The final decision of the Commonwealth Court imposed a permanent injunction against the Voter ID Law.

What career path would you have pursued if you weren't a lawyer?

If I weren't a lawyer I would have pursued being an American history or American literature professor. My only aunt and uncle were English professors, and my Dad was a Geography professor.

Name a mentor or someone you admire.

There are far too many mentors to pick one or even a few. I have been very fortunate to be hired by Willig, Williams & Davidson. I work with brilliant, hard-working attorneys who have a passion for the law and defending the rights of workers.

What is the best advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received was to always believe that a case you are working on can be won, even if the odds are long. Some of the most important cases that I have been fortunate enough to handle were seen as a difficult, if not impossible, climb. Those wins were the sweetest in my career.

In 50 words or less, what does the legal profession need to do to prepare the next generation of lawyers?

The legal profession is changing rapidly and new lawyers need to adapt to those changes. They also need to understand that a law degree and law license is a privilege and, when possible, it should be used to benefit not just clients but those who can ill-afford to hire a lawyer.