Usufruct
R.S. 9:203

Officiant; judges and justices of the peace ACTIVE

A. Judges and justices of the peace may perform marriage ceremonies within the following territorial limits:

(1) A justice of the supreme court within the state;

(2) A judge of a court of appeals within the circuit;

(3) A judge of a district court within the district;

(4) A judge of a family court, juvenile court, parish court, city court, or, in Orleans Parish, a municipal or traffic court, within the parish in which the court is situated; and

(5) A justice of the peace within the parish in which the court of that justice of the peace is situated, and in any parish within the same supreme court district, or in a parish that has no justice of the peace court, except for Orleans Parish.

B. A judge's authority to perform marriage ceremonies continues after he retires.

C. A retired justice of the peace who has served a total of eighteen years in that capacity shall retain his authority to perform marriage ceremonies within the territorial limits authorized in Subsection A of this Section provided he registers to perform such ceremonies as required by R.S. 9:204.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (A)(5) of this Section, a justice of the peace within any of the parishes of DeSoto, Bossier, Caddo, Bienville, Webster, or Red River may perform marriage ceremonies within any of these parishes.

E.(1) A United States District Court judge or magistrate judge of the Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, or Western District of Louisiana may perform marriage ceremonies in this state upon the adoption of a court rule, resolution, or standing order by a majority of the judges sitting en banc authorizing judges to perform such ceremonies.

(2) A judge of a court of the United States whose official duty station includes a municipality having a population in excess of one hundred five thousand but less than one hundred thirty thousand persons according to the latest decennial census may perform marriage ceremonies within his official duty station. The authority granted by this Paragraph shall be effective only from August 1, 2012, through September 1, 2012.

Actions

JSON Markdown Source (legis.la.gov)

References

Cited by

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History

  • enactment Acts 1987, No. 886, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1988
  • amendment Acts 1991, No. 710, §1
  • amendment Acts 1993, No. 105, §1
  • amendment Acts 1995, No. 212, §1
  • amendment Acts 1997, No. 73, §2
  • amendment Acts 2001, No. 341, §1, eff. June 12, 2001
  • amendment Acts 2001, No. 1103, §1
  • amendment Acts 2002, No. 60, §1
  • amendment Acts 2003, No. 255, §1, eff. June 6, 2003
  • amendment Acts 2004, No. 454, §1, eff. June 24, 2004
  • amendment Acts 2005, No. 4, §1, eff. May 27, 2005
  • amendment Acts 2007, No. 114, §1
  • amendment Acts 2008, No. 675, §2, eff. July 1, 2008
  • amendment Acts 2008, No. 873, §2, eff. July 9, 2008
  • amendment Acts 2008, No. 879, §3
  • amendment Acts 2009, No. 15, §1
  • amendment Acts 2010, No. 199, §1
  • amendment Acts 2010, No. 237, §1, eff. June 17, 2010
  • amendment Acts 2012, No. 184, §1
  • amendment Acts 2012, No. 286, §1
  • amendment Acts 2014, No. 794, §1

Section navigation

Cite R.S. 9:203

Bluebook
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 9:203 (2026).
Permalink
https://theusufruct.com/rs/title-9/section-203
BibTeX
@misc{larevstat-9-203,
  title        = {La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 9:203},
  howpublished = {Louisiana Revised Statutes},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://theusufruct.com/rs/title-9/section-203},
  note         = {Snapshot 2026-05-22}
}