District courts are courts of limited jurisdiction in the State of Michigan. They were established by the State Legislature in Act 236 of 1961 to consolidate the functions of several courts of limited jurisdiction such as traffic courts and municipal courts.[1] In response, nearly all cities in the state have ceased operating a municipal court, except for the five Grosse Pointes in Wayne County; each has its own municipal court, except for Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Shores, which operate one jointly.
There are currently 103 district courts in the state (four district courts - 42nd (Macomb County), 52nd (Oakland County), 67th (Genesee County) and 70th (Saginaw County) - are single court districts with judges from multiple "election divisions" based at separate locations within the respective districts). They handle most traffic violations, civil disputes seeking money damages up to $25,000, landlord-tenant disputes and criminal cases in which the defendant is charged with a misdemeanor that is punishable by not more than one-year imprisonment.
District Judges are elected for six-year terms and may appoint magistrates. Magistrates may set bail and accept bonds in criminal matters, accept guilty pleas, impose sentences for dog, game, traffic, motor carrier, snowmobile and boat law violations. They may also issue arrest and search warrants. Attorney magistrates may also hear small claims cases or perform other duties described in the statute, as directed by the Chief Judge.[2]
A person aged 17-years or older who is charged with a crime will begin his or her case with an appearance before a district court judge. In an appearance, the district court will explain the charges to the defendant along with his or her rights, and the possible consequences if convicted of the charge. The court also determines the amount and conditions of bail and collects it if the defendant is able to post a bond.
The district court will conduct a trial for defendants charged with a misdemeanor, that is punishable by not more than one year in jail, and sentence the defendant.
In felony cases (generally, cases that are punishable by more than one year in prison), the district court will set the bail amount and hold a preliminary examination to determine if a crime was committed and if there is probable cause to believe the defendant committed the crime. If so, the case is transferred to the circuit court for trial and is referred to as having been "bound over."
District courts also contain a small claims division which handles civil cases up to $7,000. For these cases, the parties must agree to waive their right to a jury, representation by a lawyer, rules of evidence and to appeal the decision of the district judge. If the parties do not agree to these terms, the case is heard in the district court’s general civil division.[3]
The Michigan Supreme Court has designated the Berrien County Courts as a consolidation site for the merger of the District Court, Probate Court and Circuit Court into a single Trial Court.[7]
The 6th District Court, which consisted of the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph was merged into the 5th District Court in the 1970s to form a county-wide district court.
The 9th District Court, which served the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage, were merged into the 8th District Court in 1999 to become a county-wide district court.[8]
Began operations on January 1, 1985 after Ypsilanti Township approved establishing a municipal-funded court separate from then-14th District Court.[10]
The 45A District Court (City of Berkeley) and the 45B District Court (Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak Township) merged into the 45th District Court on July 1, 2012.[14]
Was originally designated as the 49th District Court in the enabling legislation effective in 1969. However, the Troy and Clawson Municipal Courts remained in operation until 1978, when the two courts merged to become the fourth division of the county-funded 52nd District Court.[15]
The original 59th District Court served the city of Muskegon, the city of Muskegon Heights and Muskegon Township before being merged into the county-wide 60th District Court in 1973.[18]
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