R.S. 14:17

Mistake of law ACTIVE

Ignorance of the provision of this Code or of any criminal statute is not a defense to any criminal prosecution. However, mistake of law which results in the lack of an intention that consequences which are criminal shall follow, is a defense to a criminal prosecution under the following circumstances:

(1) Where the offender reasonably relied on the act of the legislature in repealing an existing criminal provision, or in otherwise purporting to make the offender's conduct lawful; or

(2) Where the offender reasonably relied on a final judgment of a competent court of last resort that a provision making the conduct in question criminal was unconstitutional.

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References

None.

Cited by

None.

History

No legislative history recorded.

Section navigation

Cite R.S. 14:17

Bluebook
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:17 (2026).
Permalink
https://theusufruct.com/rs/title-14/section-17
BibTeX
@misc{larevstat-14-17,
  title        = {La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:17},
  howpublished = {Louisiana Revised Statutes},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://theusufruct.com/rs/title-14/section-17},
  note         = {Snapshot 2026-05-22}
}