Louisiana legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Louisiana HB263: COURTS: Provides with respect to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court and authority relative to specialty court programs
Status: Signed into law, May 22, 2026
What the bill says
An act To enact R.S. 13:589(E), relative to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court; to authorize the magistrate judge to preside over specialty court programs; to define relative to specialty court; and to provide for related matters.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT To enact R.S. 13:589(E), relative to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court; to authorize the magistrate judge to preside over specialty court programs; to define relative to specialty court; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: Section 1. R.S. 13:589(E) is hereby enacted to read as follows: §589. Fourteenth Judicial District Court; magistrate judge * * * E.(1) Notwithstanding this Section or any other provision of law to the contrary, subject to the approval of the en banc judges of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court, the magistrate judge may preside over a specialty court program and fully adjudicate the related felony charges for those who have pled into or otherwise agreed to participate in a specialty court program. (2) For purposes of this Subsection, "specialty court" means any program designated as a specialty court by the Louisiana Supreme Court including drug division probate programs, Veterans Court programs, driving while intoxicated court, mental health court, reentry court, or a court of competent jurisdiction handling matters related to allegations of domestic abuse. Page 1 of CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 26RS-954 ORIGINAL HB NO. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part …
Sponsors
- Farnum, Les (R, 33) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Effective date: 08/01/2026.
- : Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 295.
- : Sent to the Governor for executive approval.
- : Signed by the President of the Senate.
- : Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- : Received from the Senate without amendments.
- : Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- : Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- : Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- : Rules suspended. Reported favorably.
Votes
- Senate Vote on HB 263, FINAL PASSAGE (#877) (May 13, 2026): 32 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Vote on HB 263, FINAL PASSAGE (#526) (April 15, 2026): 97 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is HB263?
- HB263 is a bill in the Louisiana Legislature (2026 Regular Session): COURTS: Provides with respect to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court and authority relative to specialty court programs.
- What does HB263 do?
- In its own words: An act To enact R.S. 13:589(E), relative to the magistrate judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court; to authorize the magistrate judge to preside over specialty court programs; to define relative to specialty court; and to provide for related matters.
- What is the status of HB263?
- Signed into law as of May 22, 2026. Latest action: Effective date: 08/01/2026. (May 22, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB263?
- Farnum, Les (R, 33).
- Where is the official record for HB263?
- On the Louisiana Legislature website: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=HB263
Source: official Louisiana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.