Louisiana Legal Overview: Lafayette

The Lafayette metropolitan area in Louisiana is defined by the Census Bureau as covering Lafayette and St. Martin parishes. Louisiana is divided into 40 judicial districts, with each district serving one or more parishes. A parish in Louisiana is the same as a county in other states. The city and parish of Lafayette are served by the 15th Judicial District Court, which acts as the main trial court with general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases in the parish. Listed below are the major cities and CDPs in the Lafayette metro area.

To locate an attorney and find more legal information in your area, click on any of the following links:

Top Louisiana cities for Legal Issues:

Lafayette
St. Martinville
Breaux Bridge
Broussard
Carencro
Duson (shared by Acadia and Lafayette parishes)
Morgan City (shared by St. Martin and St. Mary parishes)
Scott
Youngsville

Louisiana/Lafayette Laws That are Trending

Current Law Topics People are Talking About in the Louisiana and Lafayette Area:

1. The 15th Judicial District Court serves Lafayette Parish, but not St. Martin Parish. Apart from the civil and criminal courts, the district court also has a separate family court and two drug courts for adults and juveniles. The Lafayette City Court has limited jurisdiction over all the state misdemeanors, traffic violations and local ordinance violations. St. Martin Parish is served by the 16th Judicial District Court, which is based in St. Martinville. St. Martin Parish additionally has justice courts with limited jurisdiction in St. Martinville, Breaux Bridge and Morgan City.

2. Nine Lafayette police officers have filed a federal lawsuit against their own department and the Lafayette Consolidated Government. The charges include corruption, threats and racial discrimination.

3. Katie Champagne, a fired dance teacher in Lafayette Parish, has filed suit against the School Board and Superintendent for wrongful termination. Champagne had been charged with inappropriately touching students, but a jury did not convict her.

Louisiana/Lafayette Courthouses and Courts Links

Other Legal Information for Lafayette

Trending Legal Topics: Appeals against all lower court decisions in both Lafayette and St. Martin parishes must be filed with the Louisiana Third Circuit of Appeal. One further appeal may be possible if the Louisiana Supreme Court agrees to review the appellate court’s verdict. A federal case in either parish will need to be filed with the Lafayette Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Appeals against federal trial court verdicts in Louisiana are taken up by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.