Honorable Brittany Dicken
Judge Brittany A. Dicken was elected to the Circuit Bench in 2022 and serves as the Presiding Judge of the Family Court. Judge Dicken handles all domestic relations cases for the Saginaw Circuit Court.
Judge Dicken graduated from Central Michigan University and received her Juris Doctorate, Magna Cum Laude, from the Charlotte School of Law in 2013. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Dicken practiced as an associate attorney at the Law Firm of Mcgraw Morris, P.C. and previously served as the Director of the Saginaw County Friend of the Court, Friend of the Court Staff Attorney, and 10th Circuit Court Referee.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Saginaw County Court Building
111 S. Michigan Ave.
4th Floor, Room 410
Saginaw, MI 48602
STAFF:
| Position | Name | Number |
| Judicial Secretary | Kelsey Harper | (989) 790-5484 |
| Court Reporter | Cynthia Miotto | (989) 790-5482 |
| Law Clerk | Krystal Pussehl | (989) 790-5587 |
SCHEDULING DAYS & TIMES
MONDAY
Motions – Attorney-represented motions (where there is at least one attorney on the case) are scheduled by alpha split by the man’s last name on Monday mornings as follows:
9:00 a.m. - Last Name A-G
10:00 a.m. - Last Name H-O
11:00 a.m. Last Name P-Z.
Self-represented motions where neither party has an attorney are scheduled on Monday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. Parties will meet with a Staff Attorney from the Friend of the Court who will assist with a resolution. If a resolution is not reached, the Court will hear the motion at 1:30 p.m.
3:00 p.m. All Pro Confesso Hearings (held on Zoom)
TUESDAY
Trials – Scheduled by the Court at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Pre-Trial Conferences Tuesday afternoons are scheduled in 15-minute increments on Zoom. Pre-Trial conferences are not held in open Court and are conducted by the Judicial Law Clerk. A Pre-Trial order will be issued by the Court following the Pre-Trial Conference.
WEDNESDAY
Show Cause Hearings at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Parties shall submit a motion and order to show cause to receive a show cause date. The Court will assign the date and time and issue back to the party to send notice.
Settlement Conferences –One-hour time slots between 1:30 and 3:30.
THURSDAY/FRIDAY
Evidentiary Hearings, Miscellaneous Hearings, and Status Conferences are set by the Court on Thursdays and Fridays and other available times throughout the week. Parties will receive notice from the Court if such a hearing is deemed necessary.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
ADJOURNMENTS
Adjournment requests of scheduled events are routinely handled by the Judge's judicial assistant. A stipulation and order with the new date, signed by all counsel must be filed after approval of the adjournment.
Adjournment requests for motions are handled by the Judicial Assistant. Requests to withdraw or adjourn your own motion can be directed to the Clerk’s office.
Adjournment of trials must be brought by motion, with all counsel appearing, as a new trial date will be provided if the request is granted.
MEDIATION
The Court strongly encourages all forms of Alternate Dispute resolution during the pendency of litigation. Mediation may be ordered by the Court or included in the pre-trial order by stipulation of the parties. The Court has a list of private mediators and utilizes the Community Resolution Center for mediating disputes. Parties may contact the Court to obtain a list of local domestic relations mediators.
MOTIONS
All motions will be heard on Monday unless a different hearing date is requested for more time pursuant to the Court’s scheduling order. Parties may call the Judicial Assistant to request to appear by Zoom for any motion hearing.
Motions must comply with MCR 2.119. The parties shall clearly state all issues and relevant legal authority in their motion and accompanying brief and any response. Motions may be decided on the briefs without oral argument pursuant to MCR 2.119(E). The Court will prepare an Order and e-serve or personally serve the parties prior to the motion hearing.
Responses to motions will not be accepted after 9:00 A.M. the Friday preceding the motion hearing absent approval from the Court.
Unless otherwise specified, the requesting party must submit an order reflecting the Court’s ruling within 21 days after the motion is heard in open Court.
SCHEDULING ORDERS
The Court will issue a standard scheduling order after the filing of the answer.
SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES
Settlement Conferences are scheduled at the pre-trial conference and are included in the pre-trial order. Counsel and parties are ordered to attend the settlement conference in-person and meet and confer on all issues unless their attendance has been excused by the court.
Settlement Conferences are not conducted on the record, however, if they parties come to an agreement, the Court will place the agreement and Pro Con on the record at the time of the settlement conference.
TRIAL PROCEDURES
Trial dates are scheduled by the Judge at the Settlement Conference. The Court's trial requirements can be found in the Scheduling and Pre-Trial orders.
