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OUR COMMUNITY
24 | MAY 11 • 2023
mation so that the court can
make good decisions about
setting a bond so we can pro-
tect the public while a case is
pending.
“In addition,
” Judge Parker
said, “the Council provides
ongoing education about the
dynamics of domestic violence
so that we can make more edu-
cated decisions when the cases
come in front of us for sentenc-
ing or other decision-making
along the way.
“Each individual case is an
opportunity to educate people
about the dynamics of domes-
tic violence and make sure
we can put in place a system
where there’s accountability
and make sure that this isn’t an
ongoing issue.”
Domestic violence isn’t Judge
Parker’s only priority. She
began the 47th District Court
Sobriety Court in 2005 to target
substance abuse and addiction
through intervention, treatment
and offender accountability.
This program serves to protect
the community and reduce
crime. Her efforts earned her
the 2014 Drug Court Hero
Award from the Michigan
Association of Treatment Court
Professionals.
In addition, Judge Parker
is a past-president of the
Oakland County District
Judges Association, has served
on the board of the Oakland
County Bar Association, is a
founding board member of
the Farmington/Farmington
Hills Foundation for Youth and
Families and is a member of
the Farmington/Farmington
Hills Commission on Children,
Youth and Families.
Judge Parker freely shares her
knowledge and perspectives.
“I’ve always had an interest in
educating new lawyers and
judges,
” she said. “I speak regu-
larly at seminars. I’ve also spo-
ken for Jewish Family Service’s
Law Day.
”
Royal Oak District Court
Judge Derek Meinecke, a col-
league of Judge Wittenberg,
knows his fellow jurist Marla
Parker well.
“Judge Parker has been a
great mentor for me on the
bench,” he said. “
About 10 years
ago, in the early stage of my
legal career, I was assigned as
a prosecutor to Judge Parker’s
47th District Court. What
impressed me was the decency
in which she would treat peo-
ple and the care that she would
take to her docket.
“Over the years, I have regu-
larly touched base with her on
different ways to approach cases.
Through her working with the
domestic violence community
response team, we used her
court efforts and her forward
thinking as a model to create
our own domestic violence
response team.
“Judge Parker is a real leader
in coming up with good ideas
and making sure that the peo-
ple of her community are well
served,
” said Judge Meinecke.
Staci Wittenberg said Judges
Parker and Wittenberg had
much respect for each other.
Judge Parker recalls, “Judge
Wittenberg was an amazing
man with an exceedingly pos-
itive attitude and a very good
listener — someone who really
wanted to make a difference.
”
Judge Meinecke added, “I
looked at the two honorees at
the Jewish Bar Association event
and I thought, ‘Wow, just two
great, great people!’ It’s going to
be a signature night.
”
JUDGE WITTENBERG
Judge Jamie Wittenberg,
JBAM’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Champion of Justice awardee,
bravely fought off glioblastoma,
an aggressive form of brain can-
cer, for over three years until his
passing last November.
“My husband would want to
be remembered for being fair,
open-minded and courageous,
”
Staci Wittenberg said. “He really
thought that he had found a way
to beat the cancer. He, unfortu-
nately, didn’t, but he did find a
way to prolong his life.
”
Judge Wittenberg was a
wonderful father to their four
daughters, Arielle, 18, Talia, 16,
and twins Brooke and Maya, 13,
Staci said. “The most important
thing to Jamie was his four girls.
He said all the time, ‘I’m fight-
ing for my girls.
’”
The Wittenbergs were mar-
ried 19 years. “I met Jamie in
2000 when he was in law school,
and I was with him till the end,
”
Staci said.
“He had a good sense of
humor,
” she added. “
And he
was passionate about his job.
He worked until three months
before he died. What kept him
going was not only me and the
girls but his job. He also had
the Sobriety Court at work, and
there were people in recovery
who praised him to me at the
funeral.
“Jamie always had a very pos-
itive attitude about the cancer.
He never said, ‘This isn’t fair’ or
‘Why me?’ He always would just
say it happened to me because I
could handle it.
”
Judge Wittenberg’s brother,
Oakland County Treasurer
Staci and Jamie Wittenberg
Derek Meinecke, left, was a prosecutor
in Judge Marla Parker’s courtroom.
Later, as a judge in Royal Oak, he
served with Jamie Wittenberg, right.