Along with most other states, Louisiana has established the intermediate courts of appeal between the district courts and the supreme court. These courts guarantee the right to have almost any trial court decision reviewed by a higher court. Their appellate jurisdiction extends to virtually to all civil and criminal cases triable by a jury, except for those few case which are directly appealable to the supreme court. The trial court of general jurisdiction in Louisiana is the district court. District courts generally have authority to handle all civil and criminal cases.
Civil cases involve actions to enforce, correct or protect private rights.
In general civil cases include all types of actions other than criminal proceedings. In a criminal proceeding a person is charged with a crime and brought to trial and either found guilty or not guilty. The purpose of a criminal case is to punish person who violate criminal laws. The juvenile courts have exclusive jurisdiction over delinquency cases involving persons under 17 years of age, with the exception of some felony offenses for which 15 or 16 year olds can be bound over to the district courts. Juvenile courts also handle all adoption proceedings of children under the age of 17.