West Baton Rouge Parish District Court Overview
West Baton Rouge Parish is served by the 18th Judicial District Court. The court states that it has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in West Baton Rouge, Iberville, and Pointe Coupee parishes. Each parish has its own courthouse where 18th JDC judges hear civil and criminal cases. For West Baton Rouge Parish, the courthouse and main local court address is 850 8th Street in Port Allen.
Louisiana's court hierarchy runs from the Louisiana Supreme Court, to the circuit courts of appeal, to district courts and limited or specialized courts. West Baton Rouge Parish appeals route to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. The 18th JDC is therefore the primary trial court level for the parish, while the Clerk of Court is the local record custodian for filings, minutes, certified copies, and released online records.
The official 18th JDC judges page lists the court's divisions and judge contact blocks.
The division listing is useful because the district spans three parishes, not only West Baton Rouge Parish.
West Baton Rouge Parish District Court Divisions
The 18th Judicial District Court has four divisions. Division B is the West Baton Rouge courthouse contact block and the district attorney's court-role page identifies Division B as assigned to all criminal matters in West Baton Rouge Parish. Civil matters can be heard by judges across the three-parish district, so the division table should be read as a court contact map rather than a promise that every local civil case will stay with one judge.
| Division | Judge | Main Office Address | Phone / Fax | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division A | Judge J. Kevin Kimball | P.O. Box 536, 201 East Main St., New Roads, LA 70760 | Office 225-638-5532; Fax 225-638-4570 | DA page assigns all Pointe Coupee Parish criminal matters to Division A. |
| Division B | Chief Judge Tonya S. Lurry | P.O. Box 724, 850 8th St., Port Allen, LA 70767 | Office 225-336-2419; Fax 225-336-2409 | DA page assigns all West Baton Rouge Parish criminal matters to Division B. |
| Division C | Judge Pro Tempore Melvin C. Zeno | P.O. Box 241, 58050 Meriam St., Suite 313, Plaquemine, LA 70764 | Office 225-687-5230; Fax 225-687-1225 | DA page assigns about half of Iberville Parish criminal matters to Division C. |
| Division D | Judge Elizabeth A. Engolio | P.O. Box 758, 58050 Meriam St., Suite 311, Plaquemine, LA 70764 | Office 225-687-5220; Fax 225-687-5240 | Separate Division D judge listed by the court. |
West Baton Rouge Parish Court Comparison
West Baton Rouge Parish does not have the county court structure used in some other states. Louisiana uses district courts as the main trial courts, with city, mayor, municipal, traffic, justice of the peace, juvenile, family, parish, and other limited courts where locally established. Official West Baton Rouge research located the district court and general lower-court categories, but not a separate Port Allen city court page in official local sources.
| Point | District Court | Justice of the Peace or Mayor's Court | Municipal or City Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Main trial court for civil and criminal matters in the 18th JDC. | Limited local matters, smaller disputes, local ordinance issues, or ward-level matters where applicable. | City or municipal matters where locally established in Louisiana. |
| West Baton Rouge source status | Official 18th JDC and Clerk sources located. | General Louisiana lower-court category identified, but detailed official local pages were thin. | No separate Port Allen city court located in official West Baton Rouge sources. |
| Record custodian | Clerk of Court for district court filings, minutes, and certified copies. | Check citation paperwork, ward information, or local government contacts. | Check the issuing court or citation if one is named. |
| Common records | Civil, criminal, probate/succession, traffic filings, adoptions, appeals, and minutes. | Small local civil or ordinance records where the local court has jurisdiction. | Local ordinance or municipal records where a city court exists. |
| Best first step | Search Clerk records or contact the Clerk. | Use the citation or local ward contact, then call the Clerk if the matter moved to district court. | Use the ticket or summons to identify the court before searching. |
West Baton Rouge Parish Case Flow
Civil and criminal cases move through different steps, but both depend on filings, minutes, and court action that become part of the case record. The District Attorney prosecutes all felonies in Iberville, West Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee parishes and most misdemeanors investigated by sheriff's offices and State Police, including traffic citations. The Clerk receives filings and minutes, while the judge manages hearings and rulings.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › prosecutor review › bill of information or indictment where filed › arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal if filed.
Civil flow: Petition filed with the Clerk › service or citation › answer or response › motions and rule dates › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment filings › appeal if filed.
Succession flow: Petition or affidavit › civil filing and suit record › notices, oaths, or appointments if needed › court review › judgment of possession or other order › certified copies from the Clerk.
The District Attorney's role in the 18th JDC explains felony, misdemeanor, and traffic prosecution across the district.
That prosecution role is separate from the Clerk's record-custody role, so charge questions and certified-copy requests may go to different offices.
West Baton Rouge Parish District Court Calendar
The 18th JDC printable court calendar is useful, but it is not a complete docket database. The court states that the calendar contains criminal court dates and civil rule dates only. It also warns that civil hearings and civil trial dates change frequently, so any court date should be confirmed with the judge's office, the parish Clerk, or the parish District Attorney.
For court records, the calendar should be treated as a hearing-date cue, not as proof of the full case history.
West Baton Rouge Parish district court case files and certified copies remain a Clerk of Court function. Use the calendar to confirm when a matter might be heard, then use the Clerk when the goal is to obtain filings, minutes, judgments, or certified records.
West Baton Rouge Civil Criminal Divisions
Research for West Baton Rouge Parish does not show separate courthouse pages for every case type. Instead, the 18th JDC and the Clerk divide work by function. Civil matters include lawsuits, successions, adoptions, appeals, petitions, pleadings, exhibits, answers, citations, writs, subpoenas, minutes, and evidence. Criminal matters include charges filed after prosecution review, criminal minutes, traffic citations prosecuted by the DA where applicable, expungements, pleas, dispositions, and sentencing records.
The Clerk Civil Department manages civil filing intake and the civil database. The Clerk Criminal Department receives criminal filings and minutes, expungements, traffic matters, and searches. Division B is the criminal assignment for West Baton Rouge Parish according to the DA role page. Civil case hearings may be handled across the district by different judges, so civil litigants should confirm the assigned judge and date from the Clerk or judge's office.
West Baton Rouge Parish Specialty Court
The 18th JDC maintains a drug court page. The research notes that Iberville and Pointe Coupee drug courts accept West Baton Rouge referrals through the District Attorney and Public Defender offices. That detail matters because a criminal case record may show treatment-court referral or related settings even when the program is not housed as a separate West Baton Rouge courthouse office.
Referral status should be confirmed through the case record, defense counsel, District Attorney, or Public Defender rather than assumed from the public calendar.
West Baton Rouge Parish Court Contacts
The West Baton Rouge Parish Courthouse at 850 8th Street in Port Allen is used by the Clerk of Court, the Sheriff's Office administrative office, the District Attorney's West Baton Rouge office, and the 18th JDC Division B contact block. The Clerk lists the same address with P.O. Box 107, phone 225-383-0378, fax 225-383-3694, and alternate fax 225-490-0046 if the main fax errors.
18th JDC Division B
Chief Judge Tonya S. Lurry
P.O. Box 724
850 8th St., Port Allen, LA 70767
225-336-2419
Fax: 225-336-2409
West Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court
850 8th Street
Port Allen, LA 70767
225-383-0378
Mail: P.O. Box 107, Port Allen, LA 70767
18th Judicial District Attorney
850 8th Street
Port Allen, LA 70767
225-336-2410
Mail: P.O. Box 765, Port Allen, LA 70767
Note: Official research did not locate a courthouse security policy, parking-rate schedule, locker policy, or ADA entrance map.