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Article VII

La. Laws div. CA, art. 7
in effect

La. Const. Ancillaries art. VII, § 51 Justice of the peace courts; city courts

51. Justice of the peace courts; city courts Section 51. A. Abolition of justice of the peace courts; new courts. The legislature shall have the power to abolish justice of the peace courts in wards embracing the parish seat, or containing cities of more than five thousand inhabitants, and to create in their stead courts with such civil jurisdiction as is now vested in justices of the peace, provided that such courts in cities of not in excess of ten thousand inhabitants shall have civil jurisdiction, concurrent with that of the district court, where the amount in dispute or the value of the movable property involved does not exceed five hundred dollars, exclusive of interest and attorney fees; and with criminal jurisdiction which shall not extend beyond the trial of offenses not punishable by imprisonment at hard labor under the laws of this state; and said courts shall have jurisdiction for holding of preliminary examinations in cases not capital, for the requiring of bonds to keep peace and for the trial of cases covering the violations of municipal and parochial ordinances; and the judges of such courts shall have authority to perform marriage ceremonies. In addition to all other jurisdiction now vested in the city court of the city of Shreveport, said court shall have criminal jurisdiction of all those portions of the parish of Bossier which are within, or which may later be taken into the city limits of the city of Shreveport. B. Repealed by Acts 1976, No. 84, §3. C. [Implemented by Acts 1975, No. 130, §1, as LSA-R.S. 13:1952.1.] D. Judges; compensation; election; term. The compensation of the Judges of such Courts shall be fixed by the Legislature and shall be paid by the parishes and cities in which they are or may be established, in such proportions as may be provided by law. The judges of said courts, the city of Baton Rouge excepted, shall be elected for terms of six years; provided that the Legislature may hereafter authorize and direct that the Judge of the City Court of Baton Rouge may be elected for a term of six years. The Judges of said courts now in office, the City of Baton Rouge excepted, shall remain in office until the 31st day of December, 1954, and every six years thereafter, said judges shall be elected at the election for Representatives in Congress. E. Ordinance violations; jurisdiction. The Legislature may vest in mayors, or in other municipal officers, such jurisdiction over the violation of municipal ordinances, as may be found necessary. F. [Self-operative]. The provisions of this section shall be self-operative. (Amended by Acts 1934, No. 79, adopted Nov. 6, 1934; Acts 1936, No. 63, adopted Nov. 3, 1936; Acts 1944, No. 317, adopted Nov. 7, 1944; Acts 1950, No. 564, adopted Nov. 7, 1950; Acts 1956, No. 606, adopted Nov. 6, 1956; Acts 1962, No. 512, adopted Nov. 6, 1962; Acts 1968, No. 692, adopted Nov. 5, 1968.)

La. Const. Ancillaries art. VII, § 85 Stenographers; minute clerks; salaries; deputy sheriffs; judges' vacations and absences

85. Stenographers; minute clerks; salaries; deputy sheriffs; judges' vacations and absences Section 85. Each of the judges of the said Criminal District Court shall appoint his stenographer and his minute clerk with such salaries as may be now or hereafter authorized by law. The Criminal Sheriff for the Parish of Orleans shall assign a deputy sheriff to each of said divisions or sections of said court to act as crier. The judges of the said Criminal District Court shall have the power to regulate the order of their vacations, and to authorize any judge of said court to act in the place of an absent judge.

La. Const. Ancillaries art. VII, § 91 First city court; jurisdiction; pleadings; authority; procedure; costs; appeals; small claims

91. First city court; jurisdiction; pleadings; authority; procedure; costs; appeals; small claims Section 91. A. The territorial jurisdiction of the first city court embraces all that part of the city of New Orleans on the left bank of the Mississippi River. It has exclusive original jurisdiction in all cases where the amount in dispute or fund to be distributed does not exceed one hundred dollars, exclusive of interest, including suits for the ownership or possession of movable property not exceeding that amount in value, and including suits by landlords for possession of leased premises when the monthly rent does not exceed one hundred dollars. It has concurrent jurisdiction with the civil district court for the parish of Orleans in all cases except divorce, alimony, titles to real estate and probate matters, when the amount in dispute or fund to be distributed exceeds one hundred dollars but does not exceed one thousand dollars, exclusive of interest, attorney fees, and penalties, including suits for the ownership or possession of movable property not exceeding one thousand dollars in value. It may issue the necessary writs in all cases to carry its jurisdiction into effect, irrespective of the value of the property seized. It has jurisdiction over incidental demands filed therein and necessarily connected with or growing out of the principal demand, irrespective of the amount in dispute or the value of the property. Pleadings therein shall be in writing, except as otherwise provided in this Section. B. In all cases where the amount involved is less than twenty-five dollars, the pleadings need not be in writing, but the court shall preserve a record of the proceedings in the manner provided by law for trials before justices of the peace. The judges of the court shall assign one of their number to try, during stated periods, such cases under rules and regulations adopted and prescribed by the court. C. Until otherwise provided by the Legislature, the allotment, re-allotment, and trial of cases, the rules of procedure, the taking of evidence, the rendition and execution of judgments, the service of process, the execution of writs, and the manner of taking appeals shall remain as now provided by law. Costs in the first city court shall be fixed and regulated by the judges in control of the judicial expense fund for the parish of Orleans. D. Appeals from the first city court in cases where the amount in dispute or the fund to be distributed does not exceed one hundred dollars, exclusive of interest, shall be taken to the civil district court for the parish of Orleans, where they shall be tried de novo, as provided in Article VII, Section 81 of this Constitution. Appeals in all other cases shall be taken to the court of appeal for the fourth circuit. E. The judges of the first city court have authority to celebrate marriages, to issue the necessary licenses therefor, to execute commissions to take testimony, and to receive the fees allowed by law therefor. The present judges, clerk, and constable for the first city court shall be retained in their respective offices until the expiration of their respective terms, or until their successors have been elected and have qualified. (Amended by Acts 1926, No. 293, adopted Nov. 2, 1926; Acts 1928, No. 197, adopted Nov. 6, 1928; Acts 1936, No. 64, adopted Nov. 3, 1936; Acts 1952, No. 437, adopted Nov. 4, 1952; Acts 1958, No. 561, adopted Nov. 4, 1958.)

La. Const. Ancillaries art. VII, § 96 Establishment; jurisdiction; appeals; procedure; judges

96. Establishment; jurisdiction; appeals; procedure; judges Section 96. Parish of Orleans--Jurisdiction--Appeals--Procedure--Judge--Salary and term of office. There shall be a Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans, which shall have jurisdiction, except for capital crimes and crimes defined by any law defining attempted aggravated rape committed by children fifteen years of age or older, of proceedings concerning neglected or delinquent children under seventeen years of age. The court shall also have jurisdiction of all cases of desertion or nonsupport of children by either parent, or of nonsupport of wives by their husbands and also of the adoption of children under seventeen years of age. Upon the effective date of this amendment the Juvenile Courts shall be divested of jurisdiction and trial of all persons charged with contributing to the neglect or delinquency of children under seventeen years of age, and all persons charged with the violation of any law now in existence or hereafter enacted for the protection of the physical, moral or mental well-being of children under seventeen years of age, not punishable by death or hard labor, the jurisdiction and trial of all persons so charged is hereby vested in the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans. All such cases, pending and undisposed of, and the records thereof upon the effective date of this amendment, shall be transferred, by order of a Juvenile Court judge to the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans for further proceedings in accordance with law, and such transfer shall be deemed perfected upon the signing of such order. Appeals shall lie to the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana from all final judgments rendered by the Juvenile Court. An appeal shall lie on questions of law and of fact when the judgment of the court affects the custody, care or control of children under seventeen years of age, but such appeal shall not discharge the child to whom said judgment relates from the custody of the Juvenile Court or of the person, institution or agency to whose care such child may be committed by the Juvenile Court, unless the Supreme Court shall so order. An appeal also shall lie on questions of law and of fact in adoption proceedings. In all other cases an appeal shall lie on questions of law alone. The Legislature shall have power to regulate the manner of conducting all proceedings in said Juvenile Court and appeals from all final judgments, and the number and duties of the officers thereof and all other matters pertaining thereto. Proceedings in the Juvenile Court concerning neglected or delinquent children under seventeen years of age are not required to be instituted by indictment, information or affidavit. The judges of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans shall try cases and consider all matters coming before said court. The legislature by a two-thirds vote of the membership of each house shall fix the salary and the number of judges of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans. The terms of office of said judges shall be eight years. The judges of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans shall be elected by the qualified electors of the Parish of Orleans. They shall be learned in the law and shall have practiced law in this state for not less than five years previous to their election and shall have resided in the Parish of Orleans for at least two years immediately preceding their election. The successors to the judges of said court at the time of the final adoption of this amendment to the Constitution shall be elected at the respective nearest Congressional elections preceding the expiration of the respective terms of office of such judges. Whenever a judge of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans is prevented from holding court for any cause whatever, and that fact is made to appear by a certificate from a judge of said Juvenile Court or Clerk of said Juvenile Court to the Supreme Court or any Justice thereof, the public interest so requiring, the Supreme Court, in its supervisory powers, may assign any district judge or appoint any lawyer having the same qualifications for judge of the Juvenile Court to hold court and discharge the duties of said Judge of the Juvenile Court. Any lawyer thus designated and appointed shall be paid in the same manner as the salary of the judges of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans. Prior acts of the Legislature, including those which it may have enacted at its regular session in 1968, pertaining to the salary and the number of judges of the Juvenile Court for the Parish of Orleans are hereby ratified and confirmed. (Amended by Acts 1936, No. 60, adopted Nov. 3, 1936; Acts 1938, No. 390, adopted Nov. 8, 1938; Acts 1944, No. 322, adopted Nov. 7, 1944; Acts 1948, No. 513, adopted Nov. 2, 1948; Acts 1968, No. 706, adopted Nov. 5, 1968.)

La. Const. Ancillaries art. VII, § 97 Time of election of judges and other parish officers

97. Time of election of judges and other parish officers Section 97. The election of judges and other officers for the parish of Orleans and City of New Orleans herein provided for, the time of which is not specially fixed, shall be held at the time of the parochial and municipal elections; provided, the judges of the Court of Appeal, and of the Civil and Criminal District Courts, and of the city courts, and of the Juvenile Court, shall serve until December 31st of the year in which their terms shall expire, and their successors shall be elected at the Congressional election next preceding.
Source: Louisiana State Legislature (legis.la.gov)URL: https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Laws_Toc.aspx?folder=66&level=ParentFetched: 10/20/2026

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