Bossier Parish District Court
Louisiana uses district courts as the primary trial courts of general jurisdiction. Bossier Parish is in the 26th Judicial District Court with Webster Parish. The 26th Judicial District Court states that it has original jurisdiction of civil and criminal matters in both parishes. That makes it the main court for felony criminal cases, major civil suits, divorce filings, successions, district court traffic filings, and other matters that are not limited to a city, justice of the peace, mayor's, or federal court.
The Bossier Parish courthouse is at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton, the parish seat. The courthouse is a multi-office parish complex, not just a courtroom building. The Clerk of Court, district judges, district attorney's Bossier Parish office, sheriff records functions, protective-order access, and related courthouse services are all tied to the Burt Boulevard campus. The 26th Judicial District Judges Office is listed through the Police Jury with Court Administrator Melissa Fox and phone (318) 965-2217.
The district court's specialty court source is shown in the manifest image from the 26th Judicial District Court Drug Court page.
The Drug Court source supports the broader point that the 26th Judicial District Court has regular divisions and specialized programs.
Bossier Parish Court Divisions
The 26th Judicial District Court has six elected judges in Divisions A through F and an appointed hearing officer. The research also identifies each division's court reporter. These are not separate county courts. They are divisions of the same district court structure serving Bossier and Webster Parishes, with Bossier Parish records filed through the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court when the case belongs in the local district system.
| Court Number | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26th JDC Division A | District Court, Judge Hon. Michael O. Craig, reporter Rachel Schoth | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
| 26th JDC Division B | District Court, Judge Hon. Charles A. Smith, reporter Jennifer Morgan | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
| 26th JDC Division C | District Court, Judge Hon. Allie Aiello Stahl, reporter Carly Loftin | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
| 26th JDC Division D | District Court, Judge Hon. Douglas M. Stinson, reporter Jean Malone | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
| 26th JDC Division E | District Court, Judge Hon. Michael Nerren, reporter Jennifer Bolden | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
| 26th JDC Division F | District Court, Judge Hon. A. Parker Self, reporter Celeste Burnes | 204 Burt Blvd., Benton, LA 71006 via 26th JDC / Clerk | (318) 965-2217 |
The local judges office listing is represented in the manifest image from the Bossier Parish Police Jury 26th Judicial District Judges Office page.
The Police Jury source confirms the local judges office contact channel for district court operations in Benton.
District Court vs Lower Courts
Bossier Parish court searches can fail when the wrong level of court is used. Louisiana's hierarchy starts with the Louisiana Supreme Court, then the Louisiana Courts of Appeal, then district courts, and then lower courts such as city courts, justice of the peace courts, mayor's courts, and limited parish courts. Bossier City Court is a key lower court for city criminal, civil, traffic, forms, and payment matters.
| Search Question | District Court | City Court | Justice of the Peace / Mayor's Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General civil and criminal jurisdiction for Bossier and Webster Parishes. | City-level criminal, traffic, civil, and forms for Bossier City matters. | Lower local matters where the specific ward or municipality has authority. |
| Common records | Felony charges, major civil suits, divorce, succession, district traffic filings, judgments, court events. | Municipal misdemeanors, city traffic citations, city civil matters, payment and expungement information. | Local citations, small disputes, ordinance matters, or mayor's court records where applicable. |
| Search start | Bossier Parish Clerk of Court and Clerk Connect channels. | Bossier City Court at 620 Benton Road, phone (318) 741-8595. | The issuing lower court or municipality named on the citation or notice. |
| Appeal or transfer | District court judgments route to appellate courts. | Some lower court matters may connect to district court after appeal, transfer, or related filing. | Records may not appear in district court unless connected to a district proceeding. |
Bossier Parish Case Flow
A Bossier Parish District Court case moves through different steps depending on whether it is criminal, civil, divorce, probate, or traffic-related. The Clerk of Court creates and maintains the filed record, while judges hear motions, trials, pleas, orders, judgments, and sentencings. The district attorney files formal criminal charges, and the public defender contact may apply in qualifying criminal matters.
Criminal flow: Arrest or citation › district attorney review › bill of information or indictment › arraignment › motions and subpoenas › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal where available.
Civil and probate flow: petition or succession filing › clerk filing and cost accounting › service or notice where required › motions or proof › hearing or submission › order or judgment › certified copies or appeal.
Note: Sheriff's arrest records and inmate details are separate from the district court case file, even when they relate to the same incident.
Civil Criminal Probate Divisions
The district court does not operate as a separate probate court or separate family courthouse for Bossier Parish. Civil filings include ordinary civil suits, divorces, family-style civil matters, probates, successions, docket and minute records, pleadings, exhibits, citations, writs, subpoenas, and cost ledgers. Criminal filings include formal felony charges and certain misdemeanors that do not stay in municipal court. Traffic filings may reach the Clerk's traffic department when issued by State Police, the Sheriff's Department, or municipalities around the district court.
Specialty work also exists. The 26th JDC Drug Court is a court program for people 17 or older who may have moderate to severe substance abuse or addiction problems. Program components include legal and clinical assessments, treatment methods, frequent court reviews, random drug testing, sanctions, incentives, and ongoing evaluation. District court rules also reference juvenile divisions, but juvenile records are not ordinary public records.
Federal Court From Bossier Parish
Federal cases from Bossier Parish do not belong to the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court. Federal criminal prosecutions, federal civil rights cases, federal question lawsuits, diversity civil cases, and bankruptcy records use federal systems. Bossier Parish is in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, with docket access through Western District CM/ECF and PACER. Bankruptcy matters route to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
The federal CM/ECF source is shown in the manifest image from the Western District of Louisiana CM/ECF system.
CM/ECF is a federal filing and docket system, so it should not be used for state district court divorces, successions, or felony files.
Bankruptcy access is represented in the manifest image from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Bankruptcy is federal, even when the debtor, creditor, property, or dispute is located in Bossier Parish.
Bossier Parish Appeals Path
Appeals from Louisiana district court judgments move through the proper Louisiana Court of Appeal and then, in limited matters, the Louisiana Supreme Court. Federal appeals are different. Appeals from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, not to a Louisiana state appellate court. That distinction prevents searches from mixing state district records with federal appellate dockets.
The federal appellate source is represented in the manifest image from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The Fifth Circuit source belongs only to federal appeals, while Bossier Parish district court appeals follow Louisiana state appellate routes.
Bossier Parish Courthouse Details
The primary courthouse address is Bossier Parish Courthouse, 204 Burt Boulevard, Benton, Louisiana 71006. The Clerk of Court is on the third floor and publishes P.O. Box 430, Benton, LA 71006. The Clerk phone is (318) 965-2336, and the judges office phone is (318) 965-2217. Official sources do not publish detailed parking rates, garage names, or security prohibited-item lists, so those details should be confirmed before a hearing.
The courthouse is historically significant in local government records. The Bossier Parish local history source says the existing parish courthouse is the fifth courthouse in parish history, cost $2.5 million, and opened in 1972. Benton became the parish seat after an election process, and the first Benton courthouse was built in 1890. Those details help explain why court users may need to go to Benton rather than Bossier City for district court records.