Supreme Court of Louisiana

Format

Type

Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced

Margins

Margins: top 1.5", right 0.75", bottom 0.75", left 0.75"

Opening brief

25 pages

Reply brief

7 pages

What counts

Legal-size pages, exclusive of cover and index of authorities. Criminal 35 pp; capital 85 pp.

Rules

Rules of the Supreme Court of Louisiana (reenacted eff. Jan. 1, 2026) — La. S. Ct. R. I, §1; La. S. Ct. R. IV, §§1, 9

Parts of the brief, in order

1. Cover — Required · La. S. Ct. R. I
2. INDEX OF AUTHORITIES — Required · La. S. Ct. R. IV, §2
3. STATEMENT OF THE CASE — Required · La. S. Ct. R. IV, §2
4. SPECIFICATION (ASSIGNMENT) OF ERRORS — Required · La. S. Ct. R. IV, §2
5. ARGUMENT — Required · La. S. Ct. R. IV, §2
6. Signature block — Required
7. CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE — Required · La. S. Ct. R. IV

Argument headings: Argument confined to issues presented; arguments on assignments of error must reference the page (or more precise location) of the transcript containing the basis for the error (Rule IV, §4).

Record citations: Transcript/record page number or more precise location (Rule IV, §4)

Appendix

This court does not use a separate appendix — it relies on the record prepared by the clerk. We still build an index of your record documents if you upload them. Pages are numbered like A12.

No appendix requirement verified for merits briefs.

Certificates

• Service: Certificate showing copy transmitted, delivered or mailed to all opposing counsel

Good to know

• Typeface between 12 and 14 pt (both minimum and maximum) (Rule I, §1).
• Legal-size paper 'to the extent practicable'; top margin 1.5–2 in, other margins 0.75–1.25 in; bound at top for paper filings.
• Appellee/respondent brief omits specification of errors (Rule IV, §3).
• Rules I–XII reenacted by 2025 order effective Jan. 1, 2026; read via order text, not final compiled rules.

Filing: Electronic filing in PDF/A; max 250 pages or 175 MB per document (Rule I, §2).