(313) 425-5555 22226 Garrison St, Dearborn, MI 48124
Mon-Fri: 8:30AM - 4:30PM English & Arabic
Detroit skyline at night

The Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan

Where Wayne County's felonies are tried, its larger lawsuits are litigated, and its divorces are decided. Three divisions, two main buildings, one court.

The court, in plain terms

The Wayne County Circuit Court, formally Michigan’s Third Judicial Circuit, is the county’s trial court for serious matters: felony trials, civil lawsuits over $25,000, and family cases. It is the largest circuit court in Michigan, and it works in three divisions housed in different buildings, which is the first thing to get right before a court date.

The Criminal Division sits at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street in Detroit. It moved there in September 2024 after more than fifty years at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, and outdated directions to Frank Murphy still circulate. The Civil Division sits downtown at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue. The Family Division handles divorce, custody, and juvenile matters, with locations and assignments published on 3rdcc.org.

How cases arrive here

Felonies arrive by bind-over: every Wayne County felony starts in a district court with an arraignment and preliminary examination, and moves here for trial if probable cause is found. Our guides to the 19th District Court and the county’s other district courts cover that first phase. Civil cases arrive by filing: claims over $25,000 belong here, and qualifying commercial disputes go to the specialized Business Court docket. Family cases are filed here directly.

Why counsel matters here

Circuit Court is where stakes concentrate: prison exposure on felonies, real money in civil cases, and custody in family matters. It is also where preparation from the earlier phase pays off; a felony defense built carefully at the district court exam arrives at the Criminal Justice Center with a record worth having. We handle felony defense, business and commercial litigation, and family matters at this court from our Dearborn office, in English and Arabic.

Practical details

  • Address: 5301 Russell St (Criminal) / 2 Woodward Ave (Civil & Family), Detroit, MI
  • Official website: 3rdcc.org (court dates, ticket payment, and current procedures)
  • Case lookup: search by name or case number through Michigan's MiCOURT case search
  • Jurisdiction: All of Wayne County
  • Handles: felony trials (after bind-over from a district court), civil cases over $25,000, including the Business Court, divorce, custody, and other family matters, appeals from district court decisions

Court procedures, schedules, and personnel change; verify current requirements with the court directly. Details on this page were last verified September 2026. Nothing here is legal advice about your specific case.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Michigan's Third Judicial Circuit is the trial court for all of Wayne County's serious cases, split into three divisions. The Criminal Division sits at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street in Detroit, where it moved from the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in September 2024. The Civil Division sits at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Avenue. Family Division matters are heard at the court's family locations, with current assignments on 3rdcc.org.

They did for over fifty years, and many older websites still say so. Since September 2024, all Criminal Division cases are handled at the new Wayne County Criminal Justice Center at 5301 Russell Street. If your felony case was bound over from a district court, that is the building you will appear in.

Every Wayne County felony starts in a district court (the 19th in Dearborn, the 36th in Detroit, and so on) with an arraignment and a preliminary examination. If the district judge finds probable cause, the case is bound over to the Circuit Court's Criminal Division for trial. That means your felony has two courts and two phases, and the record built at the district court exam shapes everything that follows.

Claims over $25,000 belong in Circuit Court; claims at or under $25,000 are heard in the district courts. Qualifying commercial disputes are assigned to the court's specialized Business Court docket, which handles cases between businesses. Which court a claim lands in affects filing, timelines, and cost, so it is one of the first strategic questions in any dispute.

The Third Circuit is Michigan's largest circuit court, with dozens of judges across its Criminal, Civil, and Family divisions. Cases are assigned by blind draw within the division, so no one picks their judge. Your notice names your assigned judge, and current judicial assignments are published on 3rdcc.org.

Yes. Felony defense after bind-over, civil and commercial litigation over $25,000 including Business Court matters, and family cases including divorce and custody. The Circuit Court is where our district court work continues when a case is bound over, and where our business litigation is filed. We appear there from our Dearborn office, in English and Arabic.

Have a court date at the Wayne County Circuit Court?

Call before your first appearance if you can. We will tell you what the charge typically means at this court and what your realistic options are.

Schedule a Consultation (313) 425-5555