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HB708 • 2026

COURTS/JUSTICE OF PEACE: Authorizes concurrent jurisdiction for justice of the peace and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish

COURTS/JUSTICE OF PEACE: Authorizes concurrent jurisdiction for justice of the peace and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish

Elections Housing
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Lauren Ventrella
Last action
2026-05-28
Official status
Signed by the President
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly mention that it allows existing and future justices of the peace to be elected within the defined districts.

Courts and Justice of the Peace in East Baton Rouge Parish

This act allows justice of the peace courts and city courts to have concurrent jurisdiction over eviction cases in East Baton Rouge Parish.

What This Bill Does

  • Gives justice of the peace courts and city courts concurrent jurisdiction over eviction cases in East Baton Rouge Parish.
  • Defines specific precincts for each justice of the peace court district based on a file available online.
  • Ensures that changes made by local government do not affect the boundaries set for these courts unless changed by law.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Justice of the peace courts in East Baton Rouge Parish
  • City courts in East Baton Rouge Parish
  • People involved in eviction cases in East Baton Rouge Parish

Terms To Know

concurrent jurisdiction
When two or more courts can handle the same type of case.
precincts
Smaller areas within a parish that are used for voting and other local government purposes.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify an effective date, so it will take effect after the governor signs or if the governor does not sign.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect court operations in practice.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes where certain laws about justice of the peace courts are written and allows these courts in East Baton Rouge Parish to work together with city courts on eviction cases involving residential or commercial properties.

  • Moves existing law regarding concurrent jurisdiction for justice of the peace courts from the Code of Civil Procedure to the Louisiana Revised Statutes.
  • Allows justices of the peace in East Baton Rouge Parish to have concurrent jurisdiction with city courts over evictions related to leased residential and commercial premises when monthly rent does not exceed $5,000.
  • The amendment text includes technical changes that are not fully explained.
  • Details about the territorial limits of justice of the peace districts in East Baton Rouge Parish are complex and beyond the scope of a simple summary.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how justice of the peace courts and city or mayor's courts can share jurisdiction in East Baton Rouge Parish.

  • Adds new language to allow concurrent jurisdiction between justice of the peace courts and city or mayor's courts when a city court's territory expands into an existing justice of the peace court area due to annexation.
  • Specifies that justices of the peace and constables for these districts will be elected based on the newly defined districts in 2026.
  • The amendment includes detailed precinct descriptions which are technical and specific to East Baton Rouge Parish, making them hard to summarize without local context.
  • It's unclear how this change will affect current cases or court operations until further clarification is provided.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment changes the territorial jurisdiction of justice of the peace courts in East Baton Rouge Parish and specifies that city court jurisdictions can overlap with those of justice of the peace courts when a city annexes areas previously under justice of the peace control.

  • Amends and reenacts R.S. 13:2602 to define specific territorial districts for justice of the peace courts in East Baton Rouge Parish.
  • Specifies that if a mayor's court or city court extends its jurisdiction into an area previously under a justice of the peace court due to annexation, both courts will have concurrent jurisdiction over that area.
  • The amendment text does not provide details on how overlapping jurisdictions between city and justice of the peace courts would be managed in practice.
  • Some technical legal language is used which may require further explanation for clarity.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB708 allows justice of the peace courts and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish to handle cases together.

  • Justice of the peace courts and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish can now have concurrent jurisdiction, meaning they can both hear certain types of cases.
  • The specific details about which cases these courts can handle together are not provided in the amendment text.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect court operations and case management in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes specific sections in the bill to give justice of the peace courts and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish the ability to handle eviction cases together when monthly rent is $5,000 or less.

  • Changes references from 'Code of Civil Procedure Article 4912(C)' to 'R.S. 13:2602' and adds new language about concurrent jurisdiction for eviction cases in East Baton Rouge Parish.
  • Adds a new section that allows justice of the peace courts and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish to have joint authority over certain eviction cases where monthly rent is $5,000 or less.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details on how exactly the concurrent jurisdiction will be implemented beyond the specific conditions for eviction cases.
  • Some technical changes in numbering and references may affect other parts of the bill but are not explained fully here.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-28 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  2. 2026-05-28 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  3. 2026-05-27 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 87, nays 7, Senate amendments concurred in.

  4. 2026-05-26 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/27/2026.

  5. 2026-05-25 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  6. 2026-05-21 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 27 yeas and 8 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  7. 2026-05-14 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  8. 2026-05-13 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  9. 2026-05-12 S

    Reported favorably.

  10. 2026-05-04 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

  11. 2026-04-29 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  12. 2026-04-29 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 70, nays 22. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  13. 2026-04-27 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.

  14. 2026-04-27 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  15. 2026-04-23 H

    Reported with amendments (13-3-1).

  16. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

  17. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  18. 2026-02-27 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

  19. 2026-02-27 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

COURTS/JUSTICE OF PEACE: Authorizes concurrent jurisdiction for justice of the peace and city courts in East Baton Rouge Parish

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 708
BY REPRESENTATIVE VENTRELLA
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 13:2602 and to enact R.S. 13:2586(C)(9), relative to justice of
3 the peace court districts and jurisdiction in East Baton Rouge Parish; to provide for
4 jurisdiction over evictions for justice of the peace courts in East Baton Rouge Parish;
5 to provide for concurrent jurisdiction with the city courts of East Baton Rouge
6 Parish; to provide for district boundaries of the justice of the peace courts in East
7 Baton Rouge Parish; and to provide for related matters.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 13:2602 is hereby amended and reenacted and R.S. 13:2586(C)(9)
10 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §2602. Territorial jurisdiction of the justice of the peace courts of East Baton Rouge
12 Parish
13 A. The territorial jurisdiction of the several justice of the peace courts within
14 the parish of East Baton Rouge, as they exist on the effective date of this Section,
15 shall continue and shall not be diminished or otherwise changed by reason of the
16 annexation into any municipality within the parish of all or any part of the area
17 comprising such territorial jurisdiction of a justice of the peace court.
18 The territorial jurisdiction of the justice of the peace districts and courts in
19 East Baton Rouge Parish shall be as follows:
20 (1) District 1 is composed of Precincts 2-5, 2-14, 2-15, 2-18, 2-21, 2-26,
21 2-28, 2-29, 2-32, 2-34, 2-35, 2-36, 2-37, and 2-38 of East Baton Rouge Parish.
22 (2) District 2 is composed of Precincts 2-6, 2-7, 2-8, and 2-33 of East Baton
23 Rouge Parish.
Page 1 of 4
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 708 ENROLLED
1 (3) District 3 is composed of Precincts 1-2, 1-9, 1-33, 1-34, 1-36, 1-49, 1-52,
2 1-53, 1-55, 1-57, 1-60, 1-71, 1-72, 1-74, 1-87, 1-97, 1-104, 3-1, 3-2, 3-6, 3-8, 3-9,
3 3-12, 3-14, 3-24, 3-25, 3-26, 3-30, 3-37, 3-42, 3-46, 3-54, 3-58, and 3-61 of East
4 Baton Rouge Parish.
5 (4) District 4 is composed of Precincts 1-10, 1-11, 1-13, 1-14, 1-15, 1-16,
6 1-18, 1-19, 1-20, 1-21, 1-22, 1-23, 1-24, 1-25, 1-26, 1-27, 1-28, 1-29, 1-30, 1-31,
7 1-32, 1-50, 1-54, 1-58, 1-61, 1-62, 1-63, 1-70, 1-77, 1-78, 1-82, 1-83, 1-84, 1-85,
8 1-86, 1-88, 1-91, 1-92, 1-93, 1-94, 1-95, 1-96, 1-100, 1-101, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-9,
9 2-10, 2-11, 2-12, 2-13, 2-16, 2-17, 2-19, 2-20, 2-22, 2-23, 2-24, 2-25, 2-27, 2-30, and
10 2-31 of East Baton Rouge Parish.
11 (5) District 5 is composed of Precincts 1-79, 1-80, 1-81, 1-89, 1-90, 1-98,
12 1-99, 1-103, 1-105, 3-3, 3-7, 3-10, 3-11, 3-13, 3-15, 3-16, 3-17, 3-21, 3-22, 3-27,
13 3-28, 3-29, 3-31, 3-32, 3-33, 3-34, 3-38, 3-39, 3-41, 3-43, 3-45, 3-47, 3-48, 3-51,
14 3-53, 3-59, 3-60, 3-66, 3-71, 3-72, and 3-73 of East Baton Rouge Parish.
15 (6) District 6 is composed of Precincts 1-1, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-12,
16 1-35, 1-37, 1-38, 1-39, 1-40, 1-41, 1-42, 1-43, 1-44, 1-45, 1-46, 1-47, 1-48, 1-51,
17 1-56, 1-59, 1-64, 1-65, 1-66, 1-67, 1-69, 1-73, 1-75, 1-76, 1-102, 1-106, 1-107, 3-4,
18 3-5, 3-18, 3-19, 3-20, 3-23, 3-35, 3-36, 3-40, 3-44, 3-49, 3-50, 3-52, 3-55, 3-56, 3-57,
19 3-62, 3-63, 3-64, 3-65, 3-67, 3-68, 3-69, 3-70, 3-74, 3-75, and 3-76 of East Baton
20 Rouge Parish.
21 B. Whenever, by reason of annexation, the territorial jurisdiction of a
22 mayor's court or a city court is extended into all or any part of the territorial
23 jurisdiction of a justice of the peace court theretofore existing, the territorial
24 jurisdiction of the mayor's court or the city court, as the case may be, shall be
25 concurrent with that of the justice of the peace court. The persons elected to the
26 offices of justice of the peace and constable for such justice of the peace courts in
27 East Baton Rouge Parish at the regularly scheduled election in 2026 and their
28 successors shall be elected from districts provided in this Section.
29 * * *
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 708 ENROLLED
1 §2586. Jurisdiction and procedure
2 * * *
3 C.(1)
4 * * *
5 (9) A justice of the peace court in East Baton Rouge Parish shall, within its
6 territorial jurisdiction, have concurrent jurisdiction with the city court of East Baton
7 Rouge Parish over suits by landowners or lessors for the eviction of occupants or
8 tenants of leased residential or commercial premises and leased farmlands where the
9 amount of the monthly rental does not exceed five thousand dollars, regardless of the
10 amount of rent due or the rent for the unexpired term of the lease.
11 * * *
12 Section 2.(A) The precincts referenced in this Act are those contained in the file
13 named "2026 Precinct Shapefiles (01-27-2026)" available on the website of the Legislature
14 of Louisiana on the effective date of this Section. The 2026 Precinct Shapefiles are based
15 upon those Voting Districts (VTDs) contained in the 2020 Census Redistricting TIGER/Line
16 Shapefiles for the State of Louisiana as those files have been modified and validated through
17 the data verification program of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana
18 Senate to represent precinct changes submitted through January 27, 2026, to the Legislature
19 of Louisiana by parish governing authorities pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 18:532 and
20 532.1.
21 (B) When a precinct referenced in this Act has been subdivided by action of the
22 parish governing authority on a nongeographic basis or subdivided by action of the parish
23 governing authority on a geographic basis in accordance with the provisions of R.S.
24 18:532.1, the enumeration in this Act of the general precinct designation shall include all
25 nongeographic and all geographic subdivisions thereof, however such subdivisions may be
26 designated.
27 (C) The territorial limits of the districts as provided in this Act shall continue in
28 effect until changed by law regardless of any subsequent change made to the precincts by
29 the parish governing authority.
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
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HB NO. 708 ENROLLED
1 Section 3. Each justice of the peace court in East Baton Rouge Parish shall retain
2 jurisdiction over any matter properly filed with the court on or before the effective date of
3 this Act.
4 Section 4. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
5 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
6 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
7 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
8 effective on the day following such approval.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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are additions.