Orleans County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Orleans Parish covers approximately 170 square miles of land area in Louisiana. The parish was established in 1718 and named after Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. The City of New Orleans serves as the parish seat and is also the most populous city in Louisiana. According to the information provided in 2022, more than 380,400 residents live in Orleans Parish. The parish's judiciary consists of District, Juvenile, City, Municipal, and Traffic Courts.

The District Court is Orleans Parish's general jurisdiction court. It has two Divisions: Civil and Criminal Courts. The Civil District Court presides over contract disputes, personal injury claims, probate cases, foreclosures, and general civil claims for more than $25,000. On the other hand, the Criminal District Court hears felony and misdemeanor trials. Orleans Parish has a Juvenile Court responsible for handling juvenile offenses, juvenile traffic offenses, and adoption cases. Lesser misdemeanors, infractions, and small claims lawsuits involving less than $5,000 in monetary disputes are tried at the City Courts in Orleans Parish. The City of New Orleans has a Municipal and Traffic Court that handles ordinance violations and traffic offenses, respectively.

According to FBI's Crime Data, the New Orleans Police Department reports more than 5,000 violent crimes and 15,000 property crimes each year since 2020. In 2023, the state's most populous city had a crime rate of 16 crimes per 100,000 persons. The District Courts receive about 14,000 case filings yearly, per Louisiana Supreme Court Annual Reports. The following Court Clerks in Orleans Parish maintain court documents available to the public:

• Civil Court Clerk
• Criminal Court Clerk
• First City Court Clerk
• Second City Court Clerk
• Municipal/Traffic Court Clerk

To obtain or view court records, members of the public can contact Clerks of the relevant courts. Note that court clerks in Orleans Parish do not provide public access to sealed and confidential records. Examples of these sealed and restricted court documents include juvenile, adoption, mental health, medical, juror information, as well as other personal identifying information records. Court order or special permission from authorized personnel is required for access to these files.

In summary, the District (Civil and Criminal), Juvenile, City, Municipal, and Traffic Courts form the Orleans Parish's judicial branch. These trial courts ensure smooth, fair, and efficient handling of all legal proceedings in Orleans. By ensuring open access to court records, Orleans' courts promote transparency and public trust in the judicial process.