Traffic matters easily comprise the largest portion of the 35^th District Court’s business.  Of the 43,740 adult cases filed with the court, 35,917 (or 82%) were traffic related cases.  Those traffic cases can further be broken down as follows: of the  6,047 traffic case, 871 (2%) were drunk driving cases, (i.e. “Operating Under the Influence of Liquor” or OUIL and “Operating While Intoxicated” or OWI), the remaining cases involved such infractions as speeding, running a red light, failing to wear a safety belt, and other traffic violations. The balance of the court's traffic and criminal business are non-traffic cases including 326 felony cases, 2,335 misdemeanor cases, and 117 civil infraction cases.

The following chart indicates the caseload distribution of the court by community.

Traffic cases are initiated when  a ticket is filed with the court, and criminal cases are initiated when  a “complaint and warrant” is signed by the judge or magistrate.  The court staff must then create a file, schedule hearings and arraignment, and lastly send notices to the appropriate parties.  In an effort to serve both the people and communities, the 35^th District Court has developed a docket management plan that enables the court to adjudicate most cases within five weeks of the date of violation.  The keys to our success are the Limited Adjournment and Same Day Sentencing policies.

Every defendant faced with the possibility of jail time is entitled to an attorney.  For those defendants who do not have access to an attorney, the court has established a Court Appointed Attorney (CAA) program.  Attorneys in this program are available at least three days per week.  This program has been very successful, allowing for a sizable reduction in CAA costs to the communities while providing excellent representation to defendants.