The Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are the intermediate appellate courts for the state of Louisiana. There are five circuits, each covering a different group of parishes. Each circuit is subdivided into three districts. As with the Louisiana Supreme Court, the regular judicial terms on the courts of appeal are ten years. The courts of appeal are housed in the following cities in Louisiana: First Circuit – Baton Rouge Second Circuit – Shreveport Third Circuit – Lake Charles Fourth Circuit – New Orleans Fifth Circuit – Gretna

Jurisdiction

The Circuit Courts of Appeal have appellate jurisdiction over all civil matters, all matters appealed from family and juvenile courts, and most criminal cases that are triable by a jury. A court of appeal also has supervisory jurisdiction to review interlocutory orders and decrees in cases which are heard in the trial courts within their geographical circuits. One unique feature of the Courts of Appeal of Louisiana is that they are able to review questions of fact, as well as questions of law, in civil cases. In appeals of criminal cases, however, the appellate jurisdiction of the courts of appeal extends only to questions of law.

1st Circuit

Parishes Included: Circuit Seat: First Circuit Courthouse (Baton Rouge)

2nd Circuit

Parishes Included: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, DeSoto, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Tensas, Union, Webster, West Carroll, Winn Circuit Seat: Second Circuit Courthouse (Shreveport)

3rd Circuit

Parishes Included: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion, Vernon Circuit Seat: Third Circuit Courthouse (Lake Charles)

4th Circuit

Parishes Included: Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard Circuit Seat: Fourth Circuit Courthouse (New Orleans)

5th Circuit

Parishes Included: Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist Circuit Seat: Fifth Circuit Courthouse (Gretna)

Judicial misconduct scandal

In May 2007, Jerrold Peterson, staff director for the court, wrote a letter alleging that, starting in 1994, criminal pro se petitions were not being reviewed by a panel of three judges as required by Louisiana law. Instead, every pro se petition received a boilerplate response. At least 5,000 petitions have been disregarded under this policy over a 12 year period. On May 21, 2007, Peterson committed suicide at the age of 55.