Judge Mark McConnell was elected in 2008 to serve his first six year term in the 18th District Court. Prior to taking the bench, Judge McConnell was an associate attorney with Angelo A. Plakas and Associates, P.C., beginning in 1995 where he was also an Assistant Westland City Attorney and Prosecutor in the 18th District Court. For two years prior to that, he was a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Judge McConnell received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bowling Green State University, with a Minor in History. He received his Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Detroit School of Law, cum laude. While in law school, he was the Assistant Student Editor and the Articles Editor for the Michigan Business Law Journal. He was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for having the highest grade in Constitutional Law and Trial Practice. He was listed in the 1992 publication, Who’s Who in American Law Students.
Judge McConnell is very active in our community. He is a past president of the Westland Rotary Club and S.P.A.R.K (Sports, Parks and Recreation for Kids) a nonprofit organization designed to raise revenues for recreational opportunities for children in the City of Westland. He is a past memeber of the Board of Directors for the Westland Chamber of Commerce, the Westland Rotary Club, and the Westland Police Department Local block Grant Advisory Board. He is currently a member of the Westland Youth Assistance Advisory Board and Families Against Narcotics, Western Wayne County, Advisory Board.
Judge McConnell organized the City Attorney’s Office, Law Day Essay Contest for the Wayne Westland Community Schools from 1996 to 2008, served as a presenter for the Wayne Westland Junior Miss Pageant, was a Judge at the 2006 and 2007 Ms. Westland Pageant, and was recognized for assisting the Westland Festival Committee’s presentation of the Vietnam Moving Wall in 2006. He has been a long time supporter of the Westland Community Foundation, which provides financial assistance to underprivileged children in the community through the Westland Salvation Army, as well as college scholarships to high school seniors.
For his service to the community, Judge McConnell was named Westland’s First Citizen in 2007 by the Observer and Eccentric newspaper. Judge McConnell is a member of the Michigan District Judges Association, and the Wayne County District Judges Association. He is also a former adjunct faculty member at the Thomas Cooley Law School, Ann Arbor campus.
Hearings conducted by Judge McConnell can be viewed live on YouTube at his channel, Judge Mark McConnell, 18th District Court, by clicking here