Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Orleans Parish, Louisiana, has about 363,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the District Court for Orleans Parish and the City Courts and Parish Courts, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Orleans Parish public records, Orleans Parish warrants, Orleans Parish inmate search, Orleans Parish criminal records, Orleans Parish police reports, Louisiana arrest records and Louisiana inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Orleans Parish
In Orleans Parish, the District Court for Orleans Parish hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, probate and juvenile matters.
The City Courts and Parish Courts take misdemeanors, traffic cases and small civil claims; mayor's courts handle town ordinance tickets.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the Clerk of Court.
The Clerk of Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Louisiana Public Records Law.
Looking Up a Case from Orleans Parish
Louisiana has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Louisiana court page SearchSystems verified is at lasc.org/Search.
What Reaches the Court from Orleans Parish
New Orleans reported 14,694 arrests to the FBI for 2023; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the District Court for Orleans Parish or the City Courts and Parish Courts.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at orleansda.com/home (page title: Orleans Parish District Attorney), 619 South White Street., New Orleans, LA 70119, Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Orleans Parish guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Orleans Parish criminal records, Orleans Parish divorce records, Orleans Parish traffic tickets, Orleans Parish DUI and Orleans Parish property records.
Cities in Orleans Parish
Wherever in the parish a case arises, it is filed in the District Court for Orleans Parish or the City Courts and Parish Courts.
The cities and towns in the parish are New Orleans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which court hears felonies in Orleans Parish?
The District Court for Orleans Parish, which hears felonies, civil cases, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. The City Courts and Parish Courts take misdemeanors, traffic cases and small civil claims; mayor's courts handle town ordinance tickets.
Who keeps the court records in Orleans Parish?
The Clerk of Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Louisiana?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Orleans Parish website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official parish, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.