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. Of the 259 District Judges in the State of Michigan, 32 are located in Oakland County, with three of those Judges currently sitting in the 1st Division of the 52nd District Court.

The courthouse is located in Novi and serves a population of approximately 175,000 in Highland, Milford, Lyon, Novi and Commerce; Cities of Novi, South Lyon, Wixom and Walled Lake; and Villages of Milford and Wolverine Lake.

The 1st Division of the 52nd District Court is among those courts with the heaviest caseloads. The court’s jurisdiction is unique insofar as it is comprised of diverse demographics. Covering the west side of Oakland County, corporate development can border farmland, while neighborhoods can abut state property filled with woods and lakes. This mixture translates into a varied caseload that is often not experienced by urban or rural courts.

The current Judges of the 52nd District Court, 1st Division, are the Honorable Dennis N. Powers, the Honorable Robert Bondy and the Honorable Brian W. MacKenzie. The Court Administrator is Joyce Renfrow and the Deputy Court Administrator is Janet Rehm. Attorney Magistrates are Andra V. Richardson, Michael Batchik and Judith A. Holtz.

The 1st Division of the 52nd District Court is comprised of four divisions: The Civil Division handles cases that involve money or damage claims, as well as landlord/tenant disputes. The Criminal Division is responsible for processing paperwork filed by the police departments, state law and local ordinance prosecutors. The Traffic Division processes citations written by police departments. Finally, the Probation Department is responsible for conducting Pre-sentence Investigations, Alcohol Assessments, Probation Violation Hearings and supervision of offenders.

During the 2002 calendar year there were 56,453 new cases. The Court disposed of 41,186 traffic matters; 3,520 non-traffic misdemeanor offenses; 166 municipal civil infractions; 937 alcohol or drug related misdemeanor driving offenses; 66 alcohol or drug related felony driving offenses; and 601 other felony matters assigned for preliminary examination. It also disposed of 3,162 civil cases where claims exceeded $3,000, and 1,645 small claims involving less than $3,000 in controversy; 5,669 cases relating to landlord/tenant contracts were also decided. District Judges and Magistrates are also authorized to perform marriages, and in 2001 there were 199 marriages solemnized.

The Court generated revenues in fiscal year ending September 30, 2002 approximating $5,527,007. Revenues are distributed between Oakland County, municipalities within the court’s jurisdiction, and the State of Michigan.

Major Holiday Schedule
Directions to the 52nd-1 District Court