Red River Parish District Courts Overview
Louisiana district courts are the general-jurisdiction trial courts. Red River Parish is its own single-parish Thirty-Ninth Judicial District Court, which means local court-record work is centered on the parish courthouse and Clerk of Court rather than a split county clerk or district clerk model. The District Court handles the major case types that create Red River Parish court records.
The Louisiana Supreme Court district court rules system publishes local rule materials for the 39th JDC. Those materials identify Red River Parish in the district court rules structure and include family-law and support pleading appendices. Appeals from Red River Parish state trial matters route to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Second Circuit, with further review by the Louisiana Supreme Court when allowed.
List of Red River Parish District Courts
Red River Parish does not have a long list of separate numbered district courts in the research. The researched official structure is one Thirty-Ninth Judicial District Court serving Red River Parish, with clerk-held divisions and functions for civil, criminal, probate, family, juvenile, recording, marriage, and related courthouse services. The table lists the confirmed local court and office roles rather than inventing additional numbered courts.
| Court # | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39th JDC | District Court administration and hearings | P.O. Box 401, Coushatta, LA 71019 | (318) 932-6206 |
| Clerk civil department | Civil, family, probate, successions, docket and minute books | 615 East Carroll Street, Coushatta, LA 71019 | (318) 932-6741 |
| Clerk criminal department | Formal charges, indictments, bills of information, juvenile matters, pleadings, court records | 615 East Carroll Street, Coushatta, LA 71019 | (318) 932-6741 |
| Clerk recording and services | Marriage, recording, elections, jury, vital-record services, property and UCC access | 615 East Carroll Street, Coushatta, LA 71019 | (318) 932-6741 |
District Court vs Local Courts
Louisiana does not use the same county-court structure found in some other states, and Red River Parish uses a parish Clerk of Court. The District Court is the main trial court for larger record-producing cases. Justice of the Peace courts and mayor's or municipal courts, where locally established, may handle smaller local matters, ordinances, or traffic-related issues. The sheriff-linked Tyler portal uses municipal-court language for violations, but that is a ticket and fine channel, not the complete District Court record file.
| District Court | Justice of the Peace | Mayor's / Municipal Court | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General trial court for Red River Parish | Lower local civil and limited local functions | Local ordinance, municipal, or traffic matters where established |
| Criminal cases | Formal prosecutions, charges, pleas, sentencing, court minutes | Limited local role only when authorized | Violations or local matters, not full district criminal files |
| Family and probate | Divorce, support, adoption, succession, tutorship, curatorship | Not the main researched channel | Not the main researched channel |
| Records access | Clerk of Court and ClerkNet | Local court contact if applicable | Tyler ticket/fine portal or local court contact |
How a Case Moves Through the Red River Parish System
A Red River Parish case can start in different places, but District Court records become clerk-held files when pleadings, charges, or court orders are filed. Civil matters begin with a petition and an advance deposit. Criminal matters begin with arrest or investigation, then formal charges filed by the District Attorney. Probate and succession matters begin with civil department filings.
Criminal flow: Arrest or investigation › prompt appearance or bond › bill of information or indictment › arraignment › pretrial and motions › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil flow: petition filed › service › answer or responsive pleading › hearings or motions › trial or settlement › judgment › appeal.
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is separate from the Red River Parish District Court, but it is the federal trial court covering the area for federal cases.
Federal district court records should be searched through federal systems such as PACER or CM/ECF, not through the parish Clerk of Court.
Civil, Family, and Criminal Divisions
The clerk civil department handles civil suits, probates, and all related matters brought before the court. It indexes suits, maintains docket and minute books, records costs, and files pleadings, documents, and exhibits with filing-date endorsements. The civil fee table covers divorce, adoption, name changes, successions, tutorships, curatorships, ordinary suits, and protective orders.
The clerk criminal department handles formal charges brought by the 39th Judicial District Attorney, including indictments, bills of information, juvenile matters, pleadings, and criminal court records. Family-law matters use the 39th JDC Title IV rules, and Red River support pleadings require affidavit material under the researched Title IV appendix. This division structure is practical rather than a set of separate buildings.
Red River Parish Judicial District
Red River Parish is the named parish of the 39th Judicial District Court in Louisiana Supreme Court local-rule materials. The district court administrator contact is listed as Peggy McCoy, Court Administrator, 39th Judicial District Court, P.O. Box 401, Coushatta, LA 71019, phone (318) 932-6206, and fax (318) 932-8586. The clerk services page gives the same phone number for jury summons questions at the 39th Judicial District Judge's Office.
The 39th JDC appendices list no additional local holidays beyond legal holidays for Red River Parish. The clerk contact page still states that the office is closed on state and federal holidays, and the clerk homepage may post temporary closure notices. Before a filing, hearing, or jury appearance, users should confirm current office status with the clerk or judge's office.
Magistrate and Lower Courts
The research identifies Justice of the Peace courts and mayor's or municipal courts as the lower-court categories that may matter in Louisiana and Red River Parish, especially for smaller local civil issues, local ordinances, and traffic citations. The Red River sheriff's Tyler payment portal is labeled for municipal online services and supports violation searches by citation number, driver's license, vehicle information, and name.
Lower-court or payment records should not be confused with the District Court case file. If a ticket leads to a bench warrant, formal charge, or court minute entry, the correct follow-up may be the Clerk of Court or 39th JDC. If the issue is only a payment search, the sheriff-linked Tyler channel may be the correct starting point.