About the 52nd District Court - 1st Division

2025 52-1 Judges

The court has three judges, four part-time magistrates and a support staff of over 50 full and part-time employees. It is comprised of four divisions: Civil, Criminal, Traffic, and Probation.

The current judges of the 52nd District Court, 1st Division are the Honorable Robert Bondy, Honorable Travis Reeds, and the Honorable David Law.

52-1 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 conducts pre-sentence investigations, alcohol assessments, probation supervision, and probation violation hearings.

See the 52nd District Court 2025 Annual Report (Click Here)

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.