The District Court is a trial court of limited jurisdiction. The District Court has exclusive jurisdiction over the following types of cases:

• Civil suits involving $25,000 or less
• Adult criminal misdemeanor offenses punishable by up to one year imprisonment
• Civil infractions or traffic violations
• Landlord-tenant disputes such as eviction proceedings
• Small claims (civil suits involving $6,500 or less)
• Land contract forfeitures

In addition to its jurisdiction to try adult criminal offenses punishable by up to one year imprisonment, the District Court is where all adult criminal proceedings begin regardless of the nature of the offense. In carrying out this function, the District Court has jurisdiction to:

• Issue arrest and search warrants
• Set bail and accept bond
• Conduct misdemeanor and felony arraignments
• Preside over preliminary examinations for felonies
• Perform marriage ceremonies

District Court decisions can generally be appealed to the Circuit Court. A different appeal process applies to informal hearings involving traffic civil infractions.

Administration

• Honorable William A. Baillargeon, Chief District Court Judge
• Honorable Joseph S. Skocelas, District Court Judge
• Jessica Winsemius, Court Administrator
• Daniel W. Norbeck, Attorney Magistrate
• Mark Ponitz, Chief Probation Officer
• Chris Gates, Chief Deputy Clerk

Resources

• Court Forms
• District Court Case Search
• Court Schedule
• Questions Regarding Clean Slate Conviction Set Asides
• Basic Driver Improvement Course (BDIC) Online and In-Person Listings

LIVE Streaming Courtrooms

*LIVE streaming will be available for all public hearings for the duration of the live event if the Courtroom is not open to the public. Recordings are deleted at the conclusion of the live event.

Courtroom	Judge/ Magistrate	Livestream
A	Judge Joseph Skocelas
B	Judge William Baillargeon
C	Attorney Magistrate Daniel Norbeck

Important Information

• The 57th District Court is a weapons free court. Please do not bring any weapons to any court appearance or into the County Building. This applies even if you have a concealed weapons permit. You may be subject to a search for weapons.
• If you need special accommodations for hearing, sight or disability, please notify the court so that accommodations can be made.
• Court staff are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice.

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