Michigan Criminal Attorneys Blog
The 50th District Court (which is also referred to as the Pontiac District Court) is located at 70 N. Saginaw Street in the city of Pontiac, Michigan. The Court serves the citizens Pontiac, and handles civil, criminal, nuisance, zoning, and traffic offenses that are alleged to have occurred in those locations. There is also a probation department within the 50th District Court to assist the Judges with individuals that have pending criminal cases before the Court and probationary sentences. The hours of operation for the Court are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. The Court is closed for all legal holidays. For persons that are not attorneys, camera phones are not permitted in the building.
The traffic division of the 50th District Court processes tickets and citations written by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, and Michigan State Police officers. Non-criminal traffic violations can be paid at the 50th District Court, contested at an informal hearing without a lawyer (which usually occurs before the magistrate), or contested at a formal hearing before a Judge. The traffic division for the 50th District Court can be reached at (248) 758-3878. You have the right to hire an experienced traffic lawyer for purposes of a formal hearing; a city attorney or assistant Oakland County prosecutor represents the interests of the police department that issued the ticket or citation. An experienced traffic lawyer can, in many instances, negotiate a resolution to the ticket that carries less or no points in lieu of going forward with a hearing. For non-criminal traffic offenses a public defender is not provided.
The criminal division of the 50th District Court processes local ordinance, misdemeanor, and felony criminal matters in which the 50th District Court has jurisdiction. Criminal cases can involve both traffic and non-traffic related matters depending upon the circumstances. The criminal division for the 50th District Court can be contacted at (248) 758-3820. For criminal prosecutions the person accused has the right to hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer for legal representation or seek the assistance of a public defender if indigent. All criminal cases require the accused to appear in Court to address the charge and cannot be settled by merely paying a fine at the front counter.