East Feliciana Parish District Court Overview
Louisiana district courts are the main parish-level trial courts of general jurisdiction. East Feliciana Parish is part of the Twentieth Judicial District Court, a two-parish district shared with West Feliciana Parish. The 20th JDC website states that the court has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in both parishes and has two elected judges. The East Feliciana courthouse is in Clinton, while records and copies are handled through the Clerk of Court across the street.
The 20th Judicial District Court homepage is the official court source for the district structure and courthouse information.
The district court source confirms that East Feliciana Parish District Court is part of the same judicial district as West Feliciana Parish.
The statewide hierarchy places Louisiana Supreme Court at the top, followed by five courts of appeal, district courts, specialized family or juvenile courts in selected parishes, and lower local courts such as city, parish, mayor's, and justice of the peace courts. Appeals from East Feliciana district court matters go to the Court of Appeal, First Circuit. Federal cases arising in East Feliciana are separate and go to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
East Feliciana Parish District Court Judges
The 20th JDC has two elected divisions, Division A and Division B. Division A's page lists Judge Kathryn E. "Betsy" Jones as Chief Judge and gives an East Feliciana judicial office address. Division B's page lists Judge Sydney Picou Walker and a West Feliciana office address, but the district court serves both East and West Feliciana. The Clerk phone is the practical public number for records, jury reporting, and copy questions in East Feliciana.
| Court # | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th JDC, Division A | District Court division for civil and criminal matters; Chief Judge Kathryn E. "Betsy" Jones | Judicial office: 12316 Woodville Street, Clinton, LA 70722; mailing P.O. Box 529 | Clerk records/jury phone: 225-683-5145 |
| 20th JDC, Division B | District Court division for civil and criminal matters; Judge Sydney Picou Walker | Division B office: 4785 Prosperity Street, St. Francisville, LA 70775; mailing P.O. Box 2758 | Clerk records/jury phone: 225-683-5145 |
| East Feliciana Courthouse | Court building for East Feliciana 20th JDC proceedings | 12220 St. Helena Street, Clinton, LA 70722 | Use Clerk phone for records: 225-683-5145 |
| East Feliciana Clerk of Court | Filing, docket numbers, minutes, copies, marriage, mortgage, conveyance, and public inspection | 12305 St. Helena Street, Clinton, LA 70722 | 225-683-5145 |
The Division A page names the chief judge and East Feliciana office details.
Division A is especially local to Clinton because the page lists an East Feliciana judicial office address.
The Division B page names Judge Sydney Picou Walker and the West Feliciana office used by that division.
Division B still belongs in the East Feliciana District Court profile because the 20th JDC divisions serve both parishes.
East Feliciana Parish District Court vs Local Courts
Louisiana does not use a county court model for East Feliciana Parish in the way some states do. The State Court Structure Map for this project identifies the primary trial court as District Court and the lower courts as justice of the peace courts, mayor's courts, and municipal-style town ticket courts where locally maintained. That distinction matters because a Clinton ticket, a JP matter, and a 20th JDC civil suit can require different offices even when they all arise inside East Feliciana Parish.
| Point | District Court | Mayor's or Town Ticket Court | Justice of the Peace Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed role | General jurisdiction trial court for civil and criminal matters in East and West Feliciana | Local ticket and town violation channel where maintained, including Clinton ticket payment | Lower local court category identified in the state structure map |
| Record holder | Clerk of Court for filings, dockets, minutes, and copies | Town office, police records clerk, or QuickCourt for eligible Clinton payments | Current official parish roster was not fully located in the research |
| Typical matters | Civil suits, family, probate/successions, criminal filings, traffic files, jury matters | Town tickets and some local violation matters | Ward-level lower civil or local matters under Louisiana law |
| Appeal or review path | Court of Appeal, First Circuit, then possible Louisiana Supreme Court review | Depends on local court and state procedure | Depends on JP matter and state procedure |
East Feliciana Parish District Court Case Flow
Most East Feliciana Parish District Court files start at the Clerk. The Clerk court page says the office receives pleadings such as petitions, answers, and exceptions in civil, family, probate, juvenile, and adoption matters, and also receives indictments, bills of information, and other criminal filings. Each lawsuit, succession, and criminal matter is entered on a docket, assigned a number, and indexed for reference.
Criminal flow: arrest or investigation › DA charge by bill of information, indictment, or other filing › Clerk docket number › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: petition filed › citation or service › answer or exception › rules or motions › hearing or trial › judgment › copy or appeal.
Succession flow: petition to open succession › Clerk docket and index › will, heirship, inventory, or curator filings › judicial review › order or judgment of possession › certified copies from the Clerk.
Note: A daily docket is a schedule or hearing listing, not the full East Feliciana Parish District Court case file.
East Feliciana Parish District Court Divisions
The Clerk's court page provides the best local inventory of District Court filing types. Civil records can include petitions, answers, exceptions, service, rules, judgments, garnishments, executory process, protective orders, successions, curators, and appeals. Family matters include divorce pleadings and related filings. Probate matters are treated as successions. Criminal matters include indictments, bills of information, minute entries, subpoenas, extracts of minutes, peace bonds, pleas, dispositions, sentencing, and expungement filings.
The 20th JDC local rules appendix adds a scheduling detail for civil matters: East Feliciana civil matters sit Division A in the first and third week of each month and Division B in the second and fourth week. A week beginning with a fifth Monday is office week for Division A in East Feliciana and Division B in West Feliciana. Mondays are civil rule days, Wednesdays and Thursdays may be civil days for assigned matters, and Fridays may be set aside for judicial commitment hearings at East Louisiana State Hospital in Jackson.
The 20th JDC FAQ explains practical courthouse rules, fine-payment locations, transcript routes, and judgment-copy routes.
The FAQ is useful because it separates judgment copies from transcript requests and points visitors to the right office.
East Feliciana Parish Appeal District
East Feliciana Parish District Court matters appeal to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit. La. R.S. 13:312 names East Feliciana as a First Circuit parish. From there, a party may seek review in the Louisiana Supreme Court depending on the case type and procedure. This state path is separate from the federal Middle District of Louisiana, which handles federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy-related, and other federal matters tied to East Feliciana by statute.
The official Louisiana judicial-branch overview shows the statewide court structure that places district courts below the appellate courts.
The state overview helps place the 20th JDC in the larger Louisiana court system without changing the local record holder.
East Feliciana Parish District Court Jury Duty
East Feliciana jurors use the Clerk phone number for reporting instructions. The jury-duty page says jurors call the evening before appearance, lists qualification rules, and states that cell phones are not allowed in the courtroom. The 20th JDC FAQ also gives dress restrictions: no shorts, tank tops, exposed underwear, ball caps, exposed backs, midriffs, stomachs, hats, or sunglasses unless medical or religious, and no clothing with obscenities or foul language.
The East Feliciana jury-duty page is the official source for jury reporting rules and courtroom phone restrictions.
Jury rules affect District Court visitors because a records trip can become a wasted trip if a phone or dress issue blocks courtroom entry.
Lower courts should be checked by the notice, ticket, or filing type. Clinton Police tickets can route through the Town of Clinton payment channel. Justice of the peace courts are recognized in the State Court Structure Map and in Louisiana Title 13 references, but the research did not locate a complete current East Feliciana JP roster. If a lower-court notice lists a ward, JP, mayor, or town office, use that listed court first before contacting the 20th JDC.