Judge Michelle Friedman Appel is the new President of the Michigan District Judges Association (MDJA), the only statewide all volunteer organization of District Court Judges focused on and committed to improving the administration of justice in the District Courts. Currently there are over 230 District Court Judges in Michigan and over 90% of these judges belong to the organization. Judge Appel is the Chief Judge of the 45 District Court in Oakland County, where she has served as a Judge for 18 years. She was first elected in 2002 and has been re-elected three times. Her district includes the cities of Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and the Charter Township of Royal Oak. Prior to becoming a Judge, she was the Oakland County Commissioner for the same cities that make up her judicial district. Judge Appel has resided in her judicial district her entire life, growing up in Oak Park and currently living in Huntington Woods.
Judge Appel has been a pioneer in establishing and supporting specialty courts. She established one of the first Veterans Treatment Courts in Oakland County and also has helped develop a Mental Health Treatment Court at the 45 District Court. She was previously appointed by the Governor to represent the Michigan Court Judges on the Trial Court Funding Commission, headed by Chief Justice Bridgett McCormack. Judge Appel has been a frequent Presenter/Lecturer for the Michigan Judicial Institute on a variety of topics including presiding over cases with self-represented litigants and pre-trial release issues.
She is also a frequent Presenter at the annual new Judges School run by the MJI. She is also the incoming President of the of State Bar of Michigan Judicial Council.
Tom Boyd, Executive Director of the State Court Administrator’s Office, formerly a District Court Judge in Mason, has worked closely with Judge Appel, stating, “Michelle has been a role model for District Court Judges in terms of not only serving her communities, but also in dealing with statewide issues, to improve the administration of justice. I have no doubt that she will do an outstanding job as President of MDJA as she has the respect of Judges throughout the State”. As President of MDJA, Judge Appel is focusing on the challenges that the Covid-19 virus have caused regarding the administration of justice. She is also working on implementing judicial reform and legislative changes regarding the criminal justice system.
What most appeals to Judge Appel about the district courts, is that they have multiple resources, including strong and effective probation departments to deal with first time criminal offenders providing an opportunity to make sure that this is their first and last interaction with the criminal justice system She also appreciates the importance of being the local community judge, maintaining active involvement in the cities that are part of her jurisdiction.
For Judge Appel, being an attorney and Judge is a family tradition. Her husband Jeffrey is a private attorney specializing in disability law. Her father, Benjamin Friedman is a retired District Court Judge, her sister Susan Lichterman is a partner at the Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss law firm and heads up the firm’s family law practice group. Judge Appel looks forward to the challenges of her Presidency and to continuing to work to improve the administration of justice in the State of Michigan.
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