Phone Number: (906) 663-4211

Fax Number: (906) 667-1102

E-mail: ppartanen@gogebic.org or

Hours of service:

Monday - Friday

8:30a.m.–12:00p.m., 1:00p.m.–4:30p.m.

(Central Standard Time)

Staff names and titles: 

Paula J. Partanen Judicial Secretary, Scheduling Clerk

Roy Gotham Circuit Judge

The services offered by this department that are civil over $25,000 include felony criminal, divorce and also Personal Protection Orders.

The Circuit Court History and function:

The Circuit Court is a court of "general jurisdiction", meaning it handles cases of great variety. More particularly, felony criminal cases are assigned to the Circuit Court, and general civil lawsuits where the amount in controversy is over $25,000. Criminal charges, which are misdemeanors, as well as civil litigation under $25,000 is assigned by statute to the District Court. In addition, the Circuit Court historically handles divorce cases and other child custody disputes, which have in recent years been incorporated with other children’s issues formerly handled by the Probate Court into a "Family Division" of the Circuit Court.

Gogebic County and Ontonagon County comprise the 32^nd Circuit Court, and have since 1891. Initially, after Michigan statehood, Gogebic County was part of Ontonagon County, and by the State Constitution of 1850 the entire Upper Peninsula was comprised of one judicial district with two court terms per year in Ontonagon. Until 1881, Daniel Goodwin of Detroit was the judge. In 1887, when Gogebic County organized, William D. Williams was the Judge. Since then, judges of the circuit have included Samuel Cooper, from 1905-1918, George Driscoll until 1938, Harry Bay for a short time in 1938, Thomas Landers until 1982, William Cloon, Jr., through 1990, and Roy Gotham to the present time.

The History of Gogebic County, Volume II, complied in 1954, reports that the first trial in the 32^nd circuit court was on June 245, 1887 and was a criminal case for illegal sale of liquor. Apparently then as now a majority of legal actions involve alcoholic beverages in one form or another.

For the past 10 years, approximately 500 new cases are filed in the circuit court annually, with about 70% of them filed in Gogebic County. Over the past decade we have witnessed a reduction in general civil lawsuits, but the total caseload has remained fairly constant because of an increasing number of divorces and other family law cases.

Some frequently asked questions of this department include:

What if I am called as a juror and am not available?

You will need to submit a written request to the Circuit Court Judge.