A Heartfelt 
 ‘Thank You’

Two beloved judges to be 
honored by the Jewish Bar 
Association of Michigan.

DAVID SACHS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
T

here will be emotional moments 
on May 22 when the Jewish 
Bar Association of Michigan 
(JBAM) recognizes the contributions 
of two local jurists. One judge will be 
feted for her ongoing lifetime achieve-
ments — the other will be celebrated 
posthumously for all the good he 
accomplished in a life cut short.
Judge Marla Parker, who has served 
the 47th District Court in Farmington 
and Farmington Hills for more than 
three decades, will be given JBAM’s 
Avern Cohn Lifetime Achievement 
Award.
And the late Judge Jamie 
Wittenberg, who helped so many 
people while serving district courts in 
Berkley and Royal Oak, will posthu-
mously be granted JBAM’s Ruth Bader 
Ginsburg Champion of Justice Award. 
Sadly, Judge Wittenberg died last Nov. 
20 of brain cancer at age 48.
His wife, Staci Wittenberg, will 
accept the award, and the judge’s 
brother, Oakland County Treasurer 
Robert Wittenberg, and the judge’s 
44th District Court colleague, Judge 
Derek Meinecke, will also be in atten-
dance.
The JBAM dinner will take place 
Monday, May 22, at the Townsend 
Hotel in Birmingham. (To RSVP, go to 
jlive.app/events/3952. The cost is $36 
for JBAM members and $48 for others 
by May 12; after that $48/$60. Judges 
may attend for free, see “Details” on 
opposite page.)

JUDGE PARKER
Judge Parker, the Avern Cohen 
Lifetime Achievement honoree, has 
been a fixture in Farmington-area legal 

circles, spending an amazing 30 years 
on the bench — the longest time of 
any judge on the 47th District Court. 
When her current term ends in 2029, 
she’ll have served a remarkable 36 
years. 
“I have to say it’s still interesting 
every day,” she noted. 
“But as a perspective, I can see that 
things have changed over the years I’ve 
been on the bench. And I think that, 
as time goes on, there’s always more 
that I’m learning, that everyone is 
learning, to address public safety and 
try to make courts fair and accessible 
for people who are needing to use the 
court.”
A longtime advocate for protecting 
those affected by family violence, Judge 
Parker received the 2020 Domestic 
Violence Prevention Award from 
the Oakland County Coordinating 
Council Against Domestic Violence. 
“In the district court, I think we 
have the opportunity to touch so many 
lives and to address the safety of our 
community,” she said. “
As a judge in 
the Coordinating Council Against 
Domestic Violence, I meet locally with 
organizations and courts that have an 
interest in domestic violence preven-
tion — the police department, school 
counselors, therapists, magistrates and 
pretrial services representatives. 
“By communicating together, we’ve 
enhanced our processes to tighten up 
issues of public safety to make sure 
that from the very beginning when the 
police are called, that they are not only 
arresting someone, but they have the 
opportunity to direct the victim for 
assistance.
“The officers can also get infor-

Judge Jamie Wittenberg

continued on page 24

MAY 11 • 2023 | 23

CBS DETROIT

