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Home Blog DUI DUI In Troy 52-4 District Court
Because of Troy’s central location in the suburban Detroit area, the 52-4 District Court is like Grand Central Station for DUI cases. Troy’s geography is the reason I opened my first physical office there in 1993, and why I still maintain one there now. The City of Troy calls itself “The city of tomorrow, today,” and that description is as accurate as anything else that could be said about it.

 

Troy is a genuine metropolis, with over 322 miles of major and local roads running through it, including Adams, Big Beaver, Crooks, Dequindre, John R, Livernois, Long Lake, Maple Rd., South Boulevard, and 14 Mile Rd.

 

It is this busy and central location, coupled with its large size, that accounts for why the Troy court, which also exercises jurisdiction over all cases from the neighboring City of Clawson, as well, has a constant flow of OWI cases going through it.

 

As much as any webpage should be neutral, I am not going to hide the fact that I like Troy a lot.
I  like the court, as well, which is probably a good thing, given how many cases my team and I handle there. Troy is a modern and vibrant city, in every respect, and a great place to do just about anything – except get a DUI.

 

Even so, and while there is no “good” place to get a DUI, Troy is certainly far from the worst.
As I often point out, success in a DUI case is best measured by what does NOT happen to you.

 

In the real world, DUI lawyers tend to compare courts by how much tougher any one court is over another, and the fact is that Troy is often better than most.
I trust that the reader understands the delicacy required when a lawyer writes about a particular court where he or she appears regularly, but I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t note that, while not getting too specific, I cannot think of a single DUI case my team and I have handled in this court where we’ve thought our client got “pounded” or was otherwise treated unfairly. That, in and of itself, is a good thing.

 

I like this court for a reason…

 

Like most of the rest of the city, the 52-4 District Court is very efficient. Cases are wrapped up at what I would consider the “right” pace, neither lingering too long, nor being pushed through too quickly.

 

For many years, the Troy court was run by 3 Judges, the last of whom retired in 2014. Even though the city has continued its growth through the decades and the court has become busier than ever, it it now overseen by 2 Judges: Kirsten Nielsen Hartig, who has been on the bench since 2010, and Maureen M. McGinnis, who joined the court in 2014.
Both of these Judges are fair and firm. Beyond that, however, they are also intelligent and understanding.

 

This is not a “jail happy” court. Moreover, probation in this court is usually reasonable (that was not always the case), although it sometimes does require a fairly strict breath and urine testing regimen. This should not present a problem unless somebody is determined to drink or use drugs despite the Judge’s order to the contrary.
Fines and costs in this court are never higher than average, or otherwise out of line.
Beyond the court, Troy, with a population of nearly100,000, is both a destination and pass-through for countless people each day. It has added a downtown area at Big Beaver and Crooks which houses shops along with casual and fine dining establishments.

 

The city is well known for its 2 major malls (Somerset and Oakland), the “Troy Motor Mall,” an area with more than 12 automobile dealerships, Troy Beaumont Hospital, hundreds of corporate headquarters and offices, some of the nicest modern office buildings anywhere, loads of restaurants and other retail, along with housing that ranges from middle-class to high-end luxury.