The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a

United States federal court The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government. The U.S. federal judiciary consists primar ...

with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

, with courts in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, and Shreveport. These cities comprise the Western District of

. Appeals from the Western District of Louisiana are taken to the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * Eastern District of Louisiana * ...

(except for

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the

Federal Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (in case citations, Fed. Cir. or C.A.F.C.) is a United States court of appeals that has special appellate jurisdiction over certain types of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court ...

Jurisdiction

The

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

that fall under the jurisdiction of this district court are: * Acadia Parish * Allen Parish *

Avoyelles Parish Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42 ...

Beauregard Parish Beauregard Parish (french: Paroisse de Beauregard) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,654. The parish seat is DeRidder. The parish was formed on January 1, 1913. Beauregard Pari ...

* Bienville Parish *

Bossier Parish Bossier Parish ( ; french: Paroisse de Bossier) is a parish located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 116,979, and 128,746 in 2020. The parish seat is Benton. The principal city is ...

* Caddo Parish *

Calcasieu Parish Calcasieu Parish (; french: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The parish seat is Lake Charles. Calcasieu Parish is part ...

Caldwell Parish Caldwell Parish (french: Paroisse de Caldwell) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,132, making it the fifth-least populous parish in Louisiana. The parish seat is Columbia. Most r ...

Cameron Parish Cameron Parish (french: Paroisse de Cameron) is a parish in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,617. The parish seat is Cameron. Although it is the largest parish by area in Louisia ...

* Catahoula Parish * Claiborne Parish * Concordia Parish * DeSoto Parish * East Carroll Parish * Evangeline Parish *

Franklin Parish Franklin Parish (french: Paroisse de Franklin) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,767. The parish seat is Winnsboro. The parish was founded in 1843 and ...

* Grant Parish *

Iberia Parish Iberia Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ibérie, es, Parroquia de Iberia) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 69,929; the parish seat is New Iberia. The parish was formed in 1868 dur ...

* Jackson Parish * Jefferson Davis Parish *

Lafayette Parish Lafayette Parish (french: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat ...

* LaSalle Parish * Lincoln Parish *

Madison Parish Madison Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Madison'') is a parish located on the northeastern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the delta lowlands along the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,093. Its paris ...

Morehouse Parish Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,979. The parish seat is Bastrop. The parish was formed in 1844. Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Stat ...

* Natchitoches Parish * Ouachita Parish *

Rapides Parish Rapides Parish () (french: Paroisse des Rapides) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,613. The parish seat is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides' ...

Red River Parish Red River Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de la Rivière-Rouge'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,091, making it the fourth-least populous parish in Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. ...

* Richland Parish *

Sabine Parish Sabine Parish (French: ''Paroisse de la Sabine'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,233. The seat of the parish is Many. Sabine was one of five parishes created in as many wee ...

* Saint Landry Parish * Saint Martin Parish * Saint Mary Parish * Tensas Parish * Union Parish * Vermilion Parish * Vernon Parish * Webster Parish *

West Carroll Parish West Carroll Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de Carroll Ouest) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,751. The parish seat is Oak Grove. The parish was ...

* Winn Parish

History

On March 26, 1804, Congress organized the

Territory of Orleans The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 180 ...

and created the

United States District Court for the District of Orleans The United States District Court for the District of Orleans was a United States district court created on March 26, 1804, by 2 Stat. 283 for implementation on October 1, 1804 to resolve disputes in the Territory of Orleans, the portion of the Lo ...

– the only time Congress provided a territory with a district court equal in its authority and jurisdiction to those of the states.U.S. District Courts of Louisiana, Legislative history
''

Federal Judicial Center The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States. According to , the main areas of respo ...

''. The United States District Court for the District of Louisiana was established on April 8, 1812, by ,Asbury Dickens, ''A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America'' (1852), p. 392. several weeks before Louisiana was formally admitted as a state of the union. The District was thereafter subdivided and reformed several times. It was first subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts on March 3, 1823, by . On February 13, 1845, Louisiana was reorganized into a single District with one judgeship, by , but was again divided into Eastern and the Western Districts on March 3, 1849, by . Congress again abolished the Western District of Louisiana and reorganized Louisiana as a single judicial district on July 27, 1866, by . On March 3, 1881, by , Louisiana was for a third time divided into Eastern and the Western Districts, with one judgeship authorized for each. The Middle District was formed from portions of those two Districts on December 18, 1971, by .

Current judges

Vacancies and pending nominations

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

U.S. attorneys

The complete list of United States attorneys in Louisiana, including those who served during territorial status: * James Brown (1805–1808) * Philip Grymes (1808–1810) * Tully Robinson (1810–1811) *

John Randolph Grymes John Randolph Grymes (December 14, 1786 – December 3, 1854) was a New Orleans attorney, member of the Louisiana state legislature, U.S. attorney for Louisiana district, and '' aide-de-camp'' to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of N ...

(1811–1814) * Tully Robinson (2) (1814) * John Dick (1814–1821) * John W. Smith (1821–1823) * John Brownson (1823–1830) * Benjamin F. Linton (1830–1841) * Henderson Taylor (1841–1842) * Caleb L. Swayze (1842–1849) *

Henry Boyce Henry Boyce (1797 – March 1, 1873) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Education and career Born in 1797 in Derry, Kingdom of Ireland, Boyce read law in 1820. He ent ...

(1849–1850) * Lawrence P. Crain (1850–1853) * Joseph H. Kilpatrick (1853–1854) *

Peter Alexander Peter Alexander may refer to: * Pete Alexander (born Grover Cleveland Alexander; 1887–1950), American baseball player * Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar) (1893–1969), professor of English language and literature at the University of Glasgo ...

(1854–1856) * Claiborne C. Briscoe (1856) * Floyd Walton (1856–1860) * Leon D. Marks (1860) * James R. Beckwith (1870) * H. B. Talliaferro (1881) * Milton C. Elstner (1881–1885) * Montfort S. Jones (1885–1889) * Milton C. Elstner (2) (1889–1893) * Charles W. Seals (1893–1898) * Milton C. Elstner (3) (1898–1910) * Edward H. Randolph (1910–1913) * George W. Jack (1913–1917) * Robert A. Hunter (1917) * Joseph Moore (1917–1921) * Yandell Boatner (1921) * Hugh C. Fisher (1921–1922) * Philip H. Mecom (1922–1935) * Benjamin F. Roberts (1935–1937) * Harvey Fields (1937–1941) *

Malcolm Lafargue Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máel ...

(1941–1950) * Joseph J. Fleniken (1950) * Harvey Locke Carey (1950) * William J. Fleniken (1950–1953) * Thomas Wilson (1953–1962) * Edward L. Shaheen (1962–1969) * Donald Ellsworth Walter (1969–1977) * Edward L. Shaheen (2) (1977–1979) * J. Ransdell Keene (1979–1981) * Joseph S. Cage Jr. (1981–1993) * Michael D. Skinner (1993–2000) * William J. Flanagan (2000–2001) * Donald W. Washington (2001–2010) * William J. Flanagan (2) (2010) * Stephanie A. Finley (2010–2017) * Alexander C. Van Hook (2017–2018) * David C. Joseph (2018–2020) * Alexander C. Van Hook (2) (2020–2021) * Brandon B. Brown (2021–present)

References

External links

Official Website of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

United States Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana Louisiana, Western District Louisiana law Alexandria, Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Lake Charles, Louisiana Monroe, Louisiana Shreveport, Louisiana Courthouses in Louisiana 1823 establishments in Louisiana 1845 disestablishments in Louisiana 1849 establishments in Louisiana 1866 disestablishments in Louisiana 1881 establishments in Louisiana Courts and tribunals established in 1823 Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1845 Courts and tribunals established in 1849 Courts and tribunals disestablished in 1866 Courts and tribunals established in 1881