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    THE 52-3 DISTRICT COURT

    Located just off of Rochester road in Rochester Hills, the 52-3 serves various northern Oakland County areas, such as Auburn Hills, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Lake Orion, Orion Township, Orion Township, Addison Township, Oakland Township, and Oxford.  The 52-3 District Court is the primary court for all misdemeanor charges arising from the aforementioned cities and townships.  The Fifty-Second 3rd District Court is run by three judges, Judge Lisa Asadoorian, Judge Julie Nicholson, and Judge Carniak.    As with many of the Oakland County District Courts, the judges of the 52-3 District Court have their own methods of dealing with drunk driving cases.

    POSSIBLE SENTENCES

    Expect very tough probation on your first offense drunk driving.  This will likely include one year of probation, random alcohol testing, various programs, possible WWAM Weekends, and many other potential punishments.  Depending on what judge you have, jail is a possibility for a 1st offense owi, but it depends on numerous factors, including your blood alcohol content, as well as the factual surroundings of the arrest and charge.  If you are charged with a second offense drunk driving in the 52 3 District Court, there is a strong likelihood of jail time, or a massive amount of WWAM Weekends in the alternative.  The 52-3 District Court also participates in sobriety court, so this gives you a real possibility of staying out of jail on a second offense OWI charge.

    MOTIONS

    My experience in Motion practice in the 52-3 District Court is like night and day.  For instance, Judge Asadoorian is thought of by some as being a tough judge, however I have won multiple motions before Judge Asadoorian in drunk driving cases, including the suppression of a .18 bac in a case where a police officer falsified a search warrant affidavit.  I felt that unlike many judges who I have argued motions before, Judge Asadoorian had much courage to rule in favor of the suppression.  On the other hand, I have had a motion to withdraw a plea before Judge Nicholson which was stipulated to by the prosecutor.  This motion was denied even though I felt any other judge would have granted the motion.

    THE 52-3 JUDGES

    Judges Julie Nicholson, Lisa Asadoorian, and Nancy Carniak are given the responsibility to adjudicate all drunk driving which arise from Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, and the other communities mentioned above.   Regarding trials, I believe that all three judges will give you a fair trial, although I have had Judge Nicholson refuse to allow me a closing argument in a contempt of court trial.  As far as sentencings go, both Judge Asadoorian and Judge Nicholson are known for very strict sentences.  As far as Judge Carniak is concerned, I have found her to be very reasonable and she has the great ability of looking at each case individually.   

    WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 52-3 DISTRICT COURT

    This is a very difficult court to be in if you are charged with a misdemeanor drunk driving in Rochester, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, or any other city or township within the 52-3 District Court’s jurisdiction.  Further, MAKE SURE YOU ARRIVE ON TIME for your court date, as this court will issue a bench warrant if you are late for court.