Lookup St. John Parish District Court

St. John District Court Overview

The primary trial court for St. John the Baptist Parish is the 40th Judicial District Court. The state court structure map identifies the District Court as the parish's general-jurisdiction trial court. The 40th JDC states that it is divided into Divisions A, B, and C, with one judge in each division, and that it hears civil, criminal, felony, misdemeanor, traffic, juvenile, family, and probate matters.

This structure means St. John the Baptist Parish does not have a separate probate court page, separate family court, or separate criminal trial court for the main case types. Those matters are heard within the District Court system and filed through the Clerk of Court. The clerk is Felicia C. Feist, and the local clerk structure is unified rather than split between different clerks.

The manifest source for Division A is the 40th JDC Judge Fiffie page.

Division A is part of the court table because the research file identifies its judge, address, phone, fax, and Drug Court role.

St. John District Court Divisions

The full table of primary trial court divisions for St. John the Baptist Parish is below. All three divisions are part of the 40th Judicial District Court at the Edgard courthouse. The table follows the research file and does not add court numbers or addresses that were not documented.

The manifest source for Division B is the 40th JDC Judge Lewis page.

Division B is also tied to civil scheduling and criminal standing order links in the research file.

The manifest source for Division C is the 40th JDC Judge Snowdy page.

Division C is included because the research file records its judge, suite, phone, fax, staff, and juvenile probation contact.

District Court vs JP Courts

The project map lists Justice of the Peace Courts and mayor's courts or local municipal traffic venues as lower court channels where applicable. In St. John the Baptist Parish, the 40th JDC is the general-jurisdiction court, while the parish publishes seven Justice of the Peace districts with direct phone numbers. Official materials did not comprehensively locate all municipal venues, so citation or local ordinance questions should start with the issuing agency and citation.

St. John Case Flow

St. John the Baptist Parish District Court case flow depends on case type, but the clerk remains the record custodian and the court divisions handle hearings, orders, trials, and judgments. Criminal custody issues may pass through the duty judge, while civil and family matters are allotted to a division and proceed through pleadings, motions, hearings, and judgment.

Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › duty judge or first custody step › bill of information or indictment › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentence › appeal when allowed.

Civil and family flow: Petition filed › service › answer or response › motions or rules › hearing or trial › judgment › appeal when allowed.

Probate flow: Succession petition or affidavit › clerk filing › notice or creditor steps when required › court order or judgment of possession › land record transfer when immovable property is involved.

Note: Juvenile records and reports are confidential under Louisiana Children's Code Article 412 except as authorized.

St. John Duty Judge Schedule

The 40th JDC court schedule page explains the chief judge and duty judge structure. The research file states that the chief judge rotates annually: 2026 Division A Judge Fiffie, 2027 Division C Judge Snowdy, and 2028 Division B Judge Lewis. The duty judge serves as committing magistrate for criminal matters, including weekend and holiday emergencies.

The duty judge fixes bail, signs property bond orders, signs search and arrest warrants, detains juveniles and holds continued custody hearings, appoints counsel for people in custody, and handles other custody matters unless allotted to an available judge. The duty judge can also handle emergency civil matters when the allotted judge is unavailable, including default judgments, civil commitments, injunctions, protective orders, habeas corpus, and other emergency summary proceedings.

The manifest court schedule source appears below.

The schedule source is important for users who need hearing, duty judge, warrant, bail, or emergency civil context rather than a document copy.

St. John Courthouse Access

The primary courthouse is the St. John the Baptist Parish Courthouse at 2393 Highway 18, Edgard, LA 70049. The research file says the 40th JDC identifies Edgard as the location where all jury trials and bench trials are heard, west-bank traffic and misdemeanor matters are heard, monthly felony motions are held, Division B drug pleas are held, Drug Court is held, and Truancy Court is held. The East Bank courthouse at 1020 Cambridge Drive, LaPlace, is marked closed because of Hurricane Ida destruction, while the clerk's East Bank services use the New Government Complex at 1811 W. Airline Highway.

Courtroom rules are specific. The 40th JDC court rules page says no shorts, tank tops, hats, or flip-flops in courtrooms, and visitors should bring a sweater or jacket if needed. Non-attorneys may not bring electronic devices into the courthouse unless a judge approves specific equipment in advance. Wireless internet is not available. Weapons and items perceived as weapons will be confiscated.

The manifest court rules source appears below.

Those entry rules affect district court record users who must attend a hearing, file documents, or appear for jury duty in person.

St. John District Court Services

The 40th JDC general information page adds practical context for protective orders, property bonds, related agencies, and support contacts. Protective order filing can take thirty minutes to an hour because the case must be allotted to a division, a judge must sign the order, and courthouse business closes at 4:30 p.m. Forms are obtained from the Clerk's Office.

Property bond records can involve an assessor certificate, a mortgage certificate from the Clerk of Court to determine equity after mortgages, judgments, and liens, and photo identification of titled owners. The judge certifies property value and equity for sheriff acceptance. These local details are useful when a St. John the Baptist Parish District Court case record contains bail, bond, protective order, or emergency civil entries.

The manifest general information source appears below.

General information connects case records to courthouse tasks that may not appear in an online docket until the clerk or court enters the document.

St. John Appeals and JPs

Appeals from St. John the Baptist Parish District Court go to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal when the matter is appealable. Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:312 places St. John the Baptist Parish in that appellate circuit with Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. James. The Louisiana Supreme Court sits above the courts of appeal as the state's highest court.

The parish also lists seven Justice of the Peace districts. JP District 1 is Haston Lewis, Jr., 504-415-7466; District 2 is Cherry B. Frank, 985-535-2516; District 3 is Ferdinand Wallace, Jr., 985-703-2874; District 4 is Terry "Toney" Jones, 985-210-1826; District 5 is Greg "Za" Maurin, 985-703-0917; District 6 is Wilfred Mitchell, 985-652-4660; and District 7 is Penny Hall, 504-512-3722. The JP offices are relevant for lower-level local matters and possible JP bench-warrant questions.