Wayne County, Michigan
Wayne County is where we live.
Both of our offices sit in Wayne County, one in Dearborn and one in Wyandotte, and the majority of our cases never leave it. Felonies go to the 3rd Circuit Court in Detroit, misdemeanors and traffic stay in whichever of the county's district courts covers the city you were stopped in, and we've been in nearly all of them.
Where felonies and divorces go
The 3rd Circuit Court, Detroit
Every Wayne County felony ends up at the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court, with criminal matters heard at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on Gratiot in Detroit and family matters, including divorce and custody, heard through the court's Family Division. Wayne is the largest circuit in Michigan by volume, which cuts both ways: the dockets move fast and the assistant prosecutors carry heavy caseloads, so cases that get real attention early tend to land better than cases that drift. Your case starts in a district court no matter how serious it is, because that's where the arraignment and the preliminary examination happen before a felony is bound over.
Courts and communities
District courts across Wayne County
19th District Court
Dearborn. Home base. Our Garrison Street office is minutes away, and we are in this building for criminal, traffic, and license matters every week.
27th District Court
Wyandotte and Riverview. Our Biddle Avenue office is around the corner. This is the Downriver court we know best.
36th District Court
Detroit. The busiest district court in the state. Volume changes how everything works here, from arraignment scheduling to how plea negotiations actually happen.
20th District Court
Dearborn Heights. A short drive from our Dearborn office, covering criminal, traffic, and civil infraction dockets.
23rd District Court
Taylor. One of the busiest dockets Downriver, and a court we appear in regularly.
24th District Court
Allen Park and Melvindale. Misdemeanor and traffic matters for both cities, with felonies bound over to the 3rd Circuit.
25th District Court
Lincoln Park. Criminal, traffic, and civil matters for Lincoln Park residents.
28th District Court
Southgate. Defense and traffic representation on Southgate's docket.
33rd District Court
Woodhaven, Trenton, Brownstown, Gibraltar, Flat Rock, Rockwood and Grosse Ile. One court covering a wide stretch of the southern Downriver communities.
34th District Court
Romulus, Belleville, Van Buren and Huron Township. Includes traffic matters generated around Detroit Metro Airport.
18th District Court
Westland. Criminal and traffic dockets on the county's western side.
16th District Court
Livonia. Serving Livonia, on the northwest edge of the county.
17th District Court
Redford Township. Criminal, traffic, and landlord tenant matters.
29th District Court
Wayne. The city of Wayne's district court, in the center of the county.
31st District Court
Hamtramck. A small docket where knowing the courtroom matters more, not less.
32A District Court
Harper Woods. On the county's eastern edge, bordering Macomb.
35th District Court
Plymouth, Northville and the surrounding townships. The county's northwestern corner.
Why it matters
What Wayne County practice actually looks like
The county's size is the thing to plan around. A first offense OWI in Grosse Ile and the same charge in Detroit are the same statute and very different cases, because the court, the prosecutor's office handling it, and the local practice around diversion and reductions all differ. That's why we ask which court before we quote anything. If your case is here, we can usually tell you on the first call how that specific courtroom tends to handle what you are facing.
What we handle in Wayne County
Worth reading first
- What happens at a Michigan arraignment
- Michigan OWI penalties, first offense
- Should you fight a Michigan traffic ticket?
Serving other counties too: see all our service areas.
Common questions
Questions we get about this county.
Which Wayne County court will my case be in?
It depends on the charge and the city. Misdemeanors, traffic tickets, and civil infractions stay in the district court covering the city where the incident happened, so a Dearborn stop goes to the 19th and a Taylor stop goes to the 23rd. Felonies and divorces are heard at the 3rd Circuit Court in Detroit, but they still start in that same district court for arraignment and the preliminary examination.
Do I have to go to Detroit for a Wayne County felony?
Eventually, yes, but not at first. Felony cases begin in the district court for the city where the charge arose, which handles arraignment, bond, and the preliminary examination. Only after the case is bound over does it move to the 3rd Circuit Court at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit. A great deal of useful work happens before that transfer.
Is the 36th District Court different from the suburban courts?
In practice, very. The 36th in Detroit is the busiest district court in Michigan, and that volume changes how arraignments get scheduled, how much time a case gets, and how negotiations actually happen. A charge that would be handled one way in a smaller Downriver court can move very differently through the 36th, which is why the court matters as much as the statute.
Can you take a case in a Wayne County court you don't regularly appear in?
Yes. We appear across the county's district courts and the 3rd Circuit, and our two offices sit in Dearborn and Wyandotte, so most of Wayne County is a short drive. If your case is in a courtroom we're in less often, we'll tell you that honestly rather than pretend otherwise.
Free consultation
Your Wayne County court, our turf.
Tell us which district court your case is in and we'll tell you what to expect from that specific courtroom. The consultation is free.