Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal

Jurisdiction of the current courts

The Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are the intermediate appellate courts in Louisiana. There are five courts in this appellate system. The courts were established in 1879. They primarily handle appeals in criminal court cases.

A court of appeal takes appeals from the district courts. The Circuit Courts of Appeal have jurisdiction in civil cases, cases appealed from family and juvenile courts, and most criminal cases. The courts may also review and supervise district court cases, and may defer questions of law to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Each of the five circuits is divided into at least three districts. The legislature may change, by a two-thirds vote of each house, the number of circuits, districts, and judges.

Judges

There are 53 judges on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal. Judges sit in panels of at least three; a majority of a panel must concur to decide on a case.

Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Mitch Theriot	December 8, 2012 - Present
Walter I. Lanier III	January 1, 2019 - Present
Steve Miller	January 1, 2023 - Present
Tess Percy Stromberg	December 27, 2023 - Present
Page McClendon	October 5, 2002 - Present
Allison H. Penzato	2017 - Present
Elizabeth Wolfe	2020 - Present
Blair Downing Edwards	January 1, 2025 - Present
Christopher Hester	January 1, 2021 - Present
Hunter Greene	January 1, 2023 - Present
Wilson Fields	March 19, 2025 - Present
Kelly Balfour	January 1, 2025 - Present

Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
James M. Stephens	January 1, 2018 - Present
Daniel Ellender	January 1, 2023 - Present
Marcus Hunter	May 5, 2021 - Present
Craig Marcotte	April 25, 2022 - Present
Shonda Stone	2016 - Present
Frances Pitman	2012 - Present
Jeff Thompson	April 29, 2019 - Present
Jeff Robinson	February 11, 2021 - Present
Jeff Cox	2016 - Present

Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Van H. Kyzar	2016 - Present
Elizabeth A. Pickett	1997 - Present
Shannon J. Gremillion	2008 - Present
Sharon Wilson	January 1, 2021 - Present
H. Guy Bradberry	January 1, 2023 - Present
Clayton Davis	January 1, 2025 - Present
Wilbur Stiles	January 1, 2023 - Present
Jonathan Perry	January 1, 2019 - Present
Charlie Fitzgerald	January 1, 2021 - Present
Gary J. Ortego	March 7, 2022 - Present
Ledricka Johnson Thierry	January 1, 2023 - Present
Candyce Perret	2017 - Present

Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Rose Ledet	2010 - Present
Tiffany Gautier Chase	January 1, 2018 - Present
Paula Brown	January 1, 2018 - Present
Nakisha Ervin-Knott	January 1, 2023 - Present
Rachael Johnson	January 1, 2023 - Present
Sandra Cabrina Jenkins	2012 - Present
Dale Atkins	2018 - Present
Monique Morial	January 1, 2025 - Present
Joy Cossich Lobrano	2010 - Present
Daniel L. Dysart	2010 - Present
Roland L. Belsome	2004 - Present
Karen K. Herman	January 1, 2023 - Present

Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Marc E. Johnson	2009 - Present
Fredericka Homberg Wicker	2006 - Present
John J. Molaison Jr.	January 1, 2019 - Present
Stephen J. Windhorst	2012 - Present
Susan M. Chehardy	1998 - Present
Scott Schlegel	January 1, 2024 - Present
Jude G. Gravois	2009 - Present
Timothy Marcel	January 1, 2024 - Present

Salary

See also: Louisiana court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $182,007, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana

The 53 justices on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are elected in partisan elections. Justices serve 10-year terms and must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving on the court.

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• licensed to practice law in the state for at least ten years;
• a resident of the district representing for at least one year;
• under the age of 70 at the time of election (judges who turn 70 in office may serve until their term expires)

Chief justice

The chief justice is the justice on the court with the most seniority. When he or she retires, the justice with the next most seniority becomes chief justice.

Vacancies

Per Article V of the Louisiana Constitution, midterm vacancies are to be temporarily filled by the supreme court. Within one year of the opening, a special election (called by the governor, preferably on the date of a preexisting gubernatorial or congressional election) is to be held. If the supreme court has appointed a successor, that appointee may not run for the seat in the special election. The justice elected at the special election will serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

Elections

To see results from circuit court of appeal elections, visit the individual circuit pages. For details about Louisiana's judicial elections, click here.

• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2025
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2023
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2021
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2019
• Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2018

Ethics

The Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Louisiana. It consists of seven canons:

• Canon 1: A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary
• Canon 2: A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities
• Canon 3: A judge shall perform the duties of office impartially and diligently
• Canon 4: Quasi-Judicial Activities: A judge may engage in quasi-judicial activities to improve the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice
• Canon 5: Extra-Judicial Activities: A judge shall regulate extra-judicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial duties
• Canon 6: A judge may accept reasonable compensation and expenses for quasi-judicial and extra-judicial activities; a judge may not accept gifts, loans, bequests, benefits, favors or other things of value except under restricted circumstances; a judge must report compensation, gifts, loans, bequests, benefits, favors and other things in some circumstances
• Canon 7: A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political and campaign activity

The full text of the Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Louisiana may be removed in one of two ways:

• By the Louisiana Supreme Court after recommendation from the Louisiana Judiciary Commission
• By a two-thirds vote of the Louisiana State Senate upon impeachment by the Louisiana House of Representatives

Jurisdiction

There are five circuit courts of appeal in Louisiana, with jurisdiction for the following parishes.

Court	Parishes	Number of Parishes
First	Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafourche, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana	16
Second	Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, De Soto, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Tensas, Union, Webster, West Carroll, Winn	20
Third	Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, Evangeline, Grant, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, La Salle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, St. Landry, St. Martin, Vermilion, Vernon	21
Fourth	Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard	3
Fifth	Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist	4

Constitution

Over time, constitutional amendments, new constitutions and legislative acts have changed the organization and jurisdiction of the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal.

Constitution of 1879

Courts of appeal were created by the Constitution of 1879 to relieve the congested docket of the Supreme Court. This constitution provided for the creation of six courts of appeal in the state. One of these courts was designated as the court of appeal for the Orleans Parish, and it was vested with jurisdiction in appeals only from that parish. The rest of the state was divided into five circuits, with a court of appeal created for each. The First Circuit was composed of 14 parishes located in the northwestern portion of the state; the Second Circuit included parishes in the northeastern part; the Third Circuit was composed of parishes in the central and southwestern part of the state; the Fourth Circuit included the Florida parishes and those in the Baton Rouge area; and the Fifth Circuit covered the parishes along the Mississippi River and the sugar belt in South Louisiana.

These six courts of appeal each had two judges, with the provision that when both judges concurred their decision was to become final, but when they disagreed, the decision on appeal should be affirmed. This provision soon proved to be impracticable, so in 1884 the constitution was amended to provide that when the two judges on any court disagreed, they were required to appoint a lawyer with the qualifications of a judge for their circuit to aid in the determination of the case, and a judgment in which any two concurred should be final.

The courts created by the Constitution of 1879 existed for approximately twenty years, but growing public sentiment was that courts of appeal were too expensive and should be abolished. A constitutional convention was called in 1898; the three primary purposes of that convention being to prohibit lotteries, to make changes in the laws relating to suffrage, and to reform the judiciary. Most of the delegates to this convention recognized the need for some type of intermediate appellate court, but they felt that something had to be done to decrease the cost of litigation.

Constitution of 1898

Jurisdiction of the current courts

The Constitution of 1898 enlarged the Court of Appeal for the Parish of Orleans to three judges and provided that the territorial jurisdiction of that court should be increased to include appeals from the Parishes of Jefferson, St. Charles, Plaquemine and St. Bernard, in addition to those from the Parish of Orleans. The courts of appeal in the rest of the state, however, were practically abolished as separate and distinct courts. Article 99 provided that the five courts of appeal which existed in the rest of the state should remain as then constituted until the first day of July 1900. From that day until July 1, 1904, each of said courts was to consist of the court of appeal judge whose term had not expired and one district judge designated by the Louisiana Supreme Court. No other circuit court judges were to be elected, and after July 1, 1904, the five courts of appeal outside of Orleans Parish were to be composed of two district judges to be from time to time designated by the supreme court and assigned to the performance of duties of judges of said courts of appeal.

The provisions of the 1898 Constitution abolishing most of the courts of appeal as separate courts also proved to be unworkable, so by amendments to the constitution adopted on November 6, 1906, another important change was made. A three-judge Court of Appeal for the Parish of Orleans was continued, but the jurisdiction of that court was further enlarged to include appeals from the Parishes of St. James and St. John the Baptist, in addition to the five parishes already included in the jurisdiction of that court. The rest of the state was divided into two circuits, each with its own three-judge court of appeal. The First Circuit consisted roughly of all parishes in the southern half of the state, except for the seven parishes included in the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal for the Parish of Orleans; and the Second Circuit included all parishes in the northern half of the state. The judges of these new courts were elected on January 16, 1907, for terms beginning on March 1, 1907. The three courts of appeal created at that time existed until July 1, 1960.

The courts since 1960

The Constitution of 1921 was amended, effective July 1, 1960, to realign the territorial jurisdictions of the courts of appeal and to create an additional court of appeal. The First Circuit, domiciled in Baton Rouge, consisted of 16 parishes in the southeastern part of the state, excluding the New Orleans metropolitan area. The Second Circuit, domiciled in Shreveport, consisted of 20 parishes in the northern part of the state. The Third Circuit, domiciled in Lake Charles, consisted of 21 parishes in the southwestern part of the state. The Fourth Circuit, domiciled in New Orleans, consisted of seven parishes in the metropolitan area. The First, Third, and Fourth Circuits consisted of five judges each, and the Second Circuit had four judges. The courts of appeal had civil jurisdiction only.

Over the years, additional judgeships were added to the existing circuits. In 1980, the Constitution was amended to add criminal jurisdiction to the courts of appeal, effective July 1, 1982. With the addition of criminal jurisdiction to the courts of appeal, the Fourth Circuit was split into the Fourth and Fifth Circuits with the Fourth Circuit domiciled in New Orleans and composed of the Parishes of Orleans, Plaquemine and St. Bernard. The Fifth Circuit was domiciled in Gretna and composed of the Parishes of Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist. The First Circuit has 12 judges sitting, the Second Circuit has nine judges sitting, the Third Circuit has 12 judges sitting, the Fourth Circuit has 12 judges sitting and the Fifth Circuit has eight judges sitting.

State profile

Demographic data for Louisiana
	Louisiana	U.S.
Total population:	4,668,960	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	43,204	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	62.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	32.1%	12.6%
Asian:	1.7%	5.1%
Native American:	0.6%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.8%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	4.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	83.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	22.5%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$45,047	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	23.3%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Louisiana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Louisiana

Louisiana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Louisiana coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Louisiana
• United States congressional delegations from Louisiana
• Public policy in Louisiana
• Endorsers in Louisiana
• Louisiana fact checks
• More...

See also

Louisiana	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Louisiana Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal Louisiana Supreme Court	Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Louisiana	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Louisiana Court of Appeals, "First Circuit"
• Louisiana Court of Appeals, "Second Circuit"
• Louisiana Court of Appeals, "Third Circuit"
• Louisiana Court of Appeals, "Fourth Circuit"
• Louisiana Court of Appeals, "Fifth Circuit"

Footnotes

Louisiana courts

---

Federal courts:

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana

State courts:

Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts

State resources:

Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana