Louisiana SB197: COURTS: Reduces number of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. (2/3-CA5s9) (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

What the bill says

An act To amend and reenact R.S. 13:312.1(D), relative to judges on the court of appeal; to provide for the number of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal; to reduce the number of judges serving on the fourth circuit; to provide for implementation of the reduced number of judges; and to provide for related matters.

From the introduced text:

AN ACT To amend and reenact R.S. 13:312.1(D), relative to judges on the court of appeal; to provide for the number of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal; to reduce the number of judges serving on the fourth circuit; to provide for implementation of the reduced number of judges; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: Section 1. R.S. 13:312.1(D) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows: §312.1. Circuit court of appeal; domicile; number of judges; election * * * D. The Court of Appeal for the Fourth Circuit, domiciled in the city of New Orleans, shall have twelve eight judges. Eight Five judges shall be elected from the first district of the fourth circuit by the qualified electors thereof. One judge shall be elected from the second district by the qualified electors thereof. One judge shall be elected from the third district by the qualified electors thereof. Two judges One judge shall be elected from the circuit at large by the qualified electors thereof. * * * Section 2. No provision of this Act shall deprive any judge in office of the ability to Page 1 of Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law; words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SLS 26RS-512 …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Morris, John (R, 35) · primary sponsor

Latest actions

1. June 1, 2026: Effective date 6/1/2026.
2. June 1, 2026: Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 746.
3. May 29, 2026: Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.
4. May 29, 2026: Signed by the Speaker of the House.
5. May 28, 2026: Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.
6. May 27, 2026: Received from the House without amendments.
7. May 27, 2026: Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 70, nays 30. The bill, having received two-thirds vote of the elected members, was finally passed, ordered to the Senate.
8. May 27, 2026: Called from the calendar.
9. May 20, 2026: Scheduled for floor debate on 05/27/2026.
10. May 20, 2026: Notice given.

Votes

• House Vote on SB 197, FINAL PASSAGE (#1579) (May 27, 2026): 70 yea, 30 nay, passed
• House Vote on SB 197, AMENDMENT # 5465 BY GREEN, MOTION TO ADOPT (#1576) (May 27, 2026): 30 yea, 68 nay, failed
• Senate Vote on SB 197, FINAL PASSAGE (#261) (April 7, 2026): 26 yea, 9 nay, passed

Common questions

What is SB197?

SB197 is a bill in the Louisiana Legislature (2026 Regular Session): COURTS: Reduces number of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. (2/3-CA5s9) (gov sig) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX).

What does SB197 do?

In its own words: An act To amend and reenact R.S. 13:312.1(D), relative to judges on the court of appeal; to provide for the number of judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal; to reduce the number of judges serving on the fourth circuit; to provide for implementation of the reduced number of judges; and to provide for related matters.

What is the status of SB197?

Signed into law as of June 1, 2026. Latest action: Effective date 6/1/2026. (June 1, 2026).

Who sponsored SB197?

Morris, John (R, 35).

Where is the official record for SB197?

On the Louisiana Legislature website: https://legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=26RS&b=SB197