The 4th Division of the 52nd District Court moved to their new facility in July of 1999.
The court has two judges and four part-time magistrates. It is comprised
of four divisions: Civil, Criminal, Traffic, and Probation.
The current judges of the 52nd District Court, 4th Division are the Honorable Kirsten Nielsen Hartig and the Honorable Maureen M. McGinnis.
52-4 is separated into 4 primary divisions including:
- Traffic Division deals with citations written by police departments.
- Civil Division handles cases that involve money or damage claims, and landlord/tenant disputes.
- Criminal Division processes
paperwork from police departments, state law and ordinance prosecutors.
Cases involve misdemeanor offenses, both traffic and non-traffic.
- Probation Department responsible for conducting Pre-Sentence Investigations, Alcohol Assessments, and Probation Violation Hearings.
The District Court, which was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1968 pursuant to constitutional mandate,
has more citizen contact than any other court in our judicial system.
The District Court has
exclusive jurisdiction of civil matters involving claims
not exceeding $25,000 in the following areas:
- Controversy
- Landlord/tenant eviction proceedings
- Land contract forfeitures
- Garnishments and executions, and other related proceedings
District Court also hears cases
assigned by the Circuit Court on civil matters where claims
exceed $25,000.
The District Court has the exclusive jurisdiction over all criminal matters where the maximum penalty
does not exceed one year in jail. It also conducts preliminary examinations in all felony cases where
penalty exceeds one year confinement. The
preliminary exam is conducted to determine whether or not the
prosecution has sufficient evidence to show the probability the
defendant committed the crime charged. If the District Judge decides
there is probable cause, the matter is sent to Circuit Court for trial.
The
District Court also has the responsibility for all traffic violations
involving civil infractions and misdemeanors such as speeding, reckless
driving and operating while intoxicated.
Geographic Jurisdiction
The 4th Division of the 52nd District Court, located in Troy, serves the following communities: