Louisiana Revised Statutes

Louisiana Revised Statutes
Name	Louisiana Revised Statutes
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Citation	La. R.S.
Enacted by	Louisiana State Legislature
Status	active

Louisiana Revised Statutes are the codified statutory laws enacted by the Louisiana State Legislature and organized into a comprehensive set of titles that govern topics ranging from Civil Code (Louisiana)-adjacent matters to administrative regimes overseen by agencies such as the Louisiana Department of Health and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The statutes interact with the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, are interpreted by the Supreme Court of Louisiana, and are influenced by federal decisions from the United States Supreme Court and statutes like the Social Security Act when state implementation is required. They are maintained pursuant to procedural rules set by the Louisiana Legislature, affected by actions of governors such as Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards, and cited in litigation before courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

History

The development of the statutes reflects Louisiana’s mixed legal heritage from the Napoleonic Code, Code Napoleon, and Spanish legal tradition as mediated by events like the Louisiana Purchase and the tenure of figures such as Edward Livingston and judges of the Territory of Orleans. Early codification efforts parallel reforms by legislatures in the 19th century and codification projects contemporaneous with the California Civil Code and the Texas statutes. Twentieth-century modernization was shaped by legal scholars connected to institutions like Tulane University Law School, Louisiana State University Law Center, and by commissions modeled on the American Law Institute. Influential political episodes — including constitutional conventions of 1845, 1921, and 1974 — affected statutory structure, as did crises such as Hurricane Katrina and subsequent legislative sessions chaired by speakers like Jimmy Dimos and James "Jim" Tucker.

Organization and Structure

The codex is divided into numbered titles mirroring collections like the United States Code; notable administrative parallels exist with the Code of Federal Regulations and organizational templates used by the New York Consolidated Laws and California Codes. Titles address subjects managed by state entities such as the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Revenue, and boards like the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and intersect with regulatory regimes exemplified by statutes in states like Texas and Florida. Each title contains chapters, subchapters, and sections analogous to structures in the Mississippi Code, with indexing practices similar to the United States Statutes at Large.

Codification Process and Updates

Legislative enactments by the Louisiana State Legislature are enrolled, signed by governors including Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and vetoed or approved under procedures influenced by the First Amendment-related jurisprudence of the U.S. Supreme Court; enacted laws are then integrated into the statutory compilation by codifiers following mandates from bodies like the Louisiana Legislative Auditor and model processes compared with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. Regular legislative sessions, special sessions called by governors such as Mike Foster and Buddy Roemer, and emergency measures like disaster relief statutes after Hurricane Gustav lead to amendments or repeals, while interim commissions and editorial boards ensure consistency similar to practices of the American Bar Association.

Citation and Legal Authority

Citations employ the abbreviation "La. R.S." and mirror citation formats used for the United States Code Annotated and legal reporters like South Western Reporter and Louisiana Law Review. Courts — including the Supreme Court of Louisiana, Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal, and federal tribunals such as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana — treat statute sections as primary law subject to constitutional review under the Louisiana Constitution and federal preemption doctrines arising from cases like Murphy v. NCAA and Brown v. Board of Education when analogous conflicts reach higher courts. Statutory authority underpins administrative rules promulgated by commissions like the Louisiana Public Service Commission and is enforced in tribunals such as the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation dispute panels.

Relationship to Louisiana Constitution and Case Law

Statutes operate subordinate to the Louisiana Constitution, and judicial review by the Supreme Court of Louisiana and federal courts ensures conformity, drawing upon precedents from decisions such as those by judges appointed by governors like Edwin Edwards and legal reasoning found in opinions referencing doctrines articulated in Marbury v. Madison and state analogues to Lochner v. New York. Precedent from appellate panels in New Orleans and Baton Rouge often resolves statutory ambiguities, with jurisprudence influenced by legal scholarship from faculties at Southern University Law Center and precedent comparisons to rulings of the Fifth Circuit.

Access and Publication

The statutes are published in official compilations and annotated editions produced by publishers comparable to LexisNexis and West Publishing Company, and are available through repositories such as the state’s official legislative website and law libraries at Louisiana State University, Tulane University Law Library, and municipal libraries in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Public access initiatives mirror efforts by the Legal Services Corporation and open-government movements, while print digests circulate in court clerks’ offices and law schools like Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

Notable Titles and Provisions

Several titles contain provisions of broad public interest: statutes governing taxation and revenue relate to policies debated by officials like Mike Johnson and fiscal analyses from the Legislative Fiscal Office; criminal provisions interact with law enforcement agencies such as the New Orleans Police Department and statutes on family law echo doctrinal themes from the Civil Code of Louisiana. Specific statutory areas draw comparisons to influential laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, health statutes tied to Medicaid, and regulatory frameworks similar to the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Significant topics in the compilation include provisions on insurance regulated by the Louisiana Insurance Commission, education statutes affecting institutions such as Louisiana State University, environmental statutes addressing the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and coastal and oil-and-gas statutes intersecting with policies of companies like Shell Oil Company and BP.

Category:Louisiana law