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 |
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.
- 1:00 p.m. - Self-represented motions where neither party has an attorney. 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
- 9:00 a.m. - Trials
- 1:30 p.m. - Trials
- 1:30 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. - Pre-Trial Conferences Tuesday afternoons are scheduled in 15-minute increments on Zoom. Pre-Trial conferences are not recorded court proceesdings and are conducted by the Judicial Law Clerk.
WEDNESDAY
- 12:30 p.m. - Child Support Show Cause hearings
- 1:30 p.m. - Show Cause hearings. Parties shall submit a motion and order to show cause to receive a show cause date.
- 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Settlement Conferences
THURSDAY/FRIDAY
- Evidentiary Hearings, Miscellaneous Hearings, Trial Continuations and Status Conferences are set by the Court on Thursdays and Fridays and other available times throughout the week.
POLICIES & PROCEDURES
ADJOURNMENTS
Adjournment requests of scheduled events and motions 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 of trials must be brought by motion.
Requests to withdraw or adjourn your own motion can be directed to the Clerk’s office.
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.
MOTIONS
All motions are 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)(3). 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. 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 the parties come to an agreement, the Court will place the agreement and Pro Con on the record at the time of the settlement conference. Parties who are not able to settle will recieve a trial date at the time of the Settlement Conference.
TRIAL PROCEDURES
The Court's trial requirements can be found in the Scheduling and Pre-Trial orders.
POST-JUDGEMENT HEARINGS
Parties are required to exchange witness and exhibit lists and submit a written brief seven days prior to a post-judgment evidentiary hearing. Failure to provide witness and exhibit lists may result in the preclusion of witnesses/exhibits.
