Livingston Parish District Court Overview
The primary trial court for Livingston Parish is the Twenty-First Judicial District Court. The 21st JDC serves Livingston, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa Parishes. It states that it has original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters in the three-parish district and has nine elected judges in Divisions A through F and I through L. The Livingston courthouse is the physical court point for local judges' chambers and court functions.
Louisiana's court hierarchy places the Supreme Court at the top, then courts of appeal, then trial courts of general and limited jurisdiction. District courts are the main trial courts. Limited and local courts include city, municipal, mayor's, justice of the peace, juvenile, family, traffic, and other specialized courts. In Livingston Parish, the local split matters because Denham Springs and Walker may handle municipal traffic, misdemeanor, payment, or warrant issues outside the district court record path.
Livingston Parish District Divisions
The 21st JDC has districtwide divisions rather than separate county-numbered courts. The table below uses the division information captured in the research file. The courthouse address and phone are the primary Livingston Parish court contact point, while some division-level staff names appear on the Clerk criminal page and court materials. Division L is specifically identified as misdemeanor, traffic, and juvenile court.
| Court / Division | Type or judge | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21st Judicial District Court | General district court for civil, criminal, family, probate/succession, juvenile, and related matters | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division A | Judge Jeff Johnson | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division B | Judge Charlotte Foster | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division C | Judge Erika Sledge | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division D | Judge Brian K. Abels | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division E | Judge Brenda Bedsole Ricks | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division F | Judge William Dykes | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division I | Judge Jenny Richardson Fore | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division J | Judge Jeff Cashe | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division K | Chief Judge Jeff Oglesbee | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
| Division L | Judge Matthew S. Belser, misdemeanor, traffic, and juvenile court | 20300 Government Blvd., Livingston, LA 70754 | (225) 686-7461 |
District Court vs Local Courts
Livingston Parish court records are channel-dependent. A felony, civil suit, divorce, succession, or district traffic citation outside municipal limits usually points to the 21st JDC and Clerk. A Denham Springs city-court citation or warrant points to Denham Springs City Court. A Walker ticket or mayor's court warrant points to Walker. Justice of the Peace and Constable courts exist statewide for ward-level local matters and are listed through the Louisiana Attorney General directory.
| Feature | District Court | City or Mayor's Court | Justice of the Peace Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston role | General trial court for civil, criminal, family, succession/probate, juvenile, and nonmunicipal traffic matters | Municipal traffic, misdemeanor, payment, and warrant matters for Denham Springs or Walker | Ward-level limited jurisdiction listed in the state JP/constable directory |
| Record custodian | Livingston Parish Clerk of Court and 21st JDC | City or mayor's court clerk | Justice of the Peace or constable office as listed |
| Search problem | May require Clerk eSearch, counter research, calendars, or written request | May use separate city payment or warrant tools | May require direct contact through the state directory |
| Common examples | Felonies, civil suits, divorce, successions, district traffic, juvenile, specialty courts | Denham Springs citations and warrants, Walker tickets and mayor's court dates | Local small-claim or ward matters where authorized |
Livingston Parish Case Flow
A case may begin outside the district court and later become a district court record. A sheriff booking may show a charge, but formal district criminal charges are filed by the District Attorney through the Clerk's Criminal Department. A municipal ticket may stay in Denham Springs or Walker unless it belongs elsewhere. A succession begins as a civil filing and becomes a succession jacket in the Clerk's civil records.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › DA charging decision › Clerk criminal filing › arraignment › motions or pretrial › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal where allowed.
Civil and succession flow: Petition filed › Clerk indexes record › service or notice › hearing, rule, or order › judgment › certified copies or appeal where allowed.
Traffic flow: Citation issued › identify district or municipal court › payment, appearance, contest, or deferral request › disposition › OMV reporting where applicable.
Livingston Parish Court Calendars
The 21st JDC calendars page says the 2026 court calendar was updated June 10, 2026. It lists calendar categories for felony jury trial week, civil jury and bench trial week, traffic court, misdemeanors, juvenile court, felony motions, child support cases, civil motions, civil pre-trials, felony pre-trials, family matters, and arraignments. Calendars help identify broad docket timing, but case-specific settings should be verified with the Clerk, court, or attorney.
Minute clerks also matter. The Clerk criminal page says minute clerks maintain criminal and civil dockets, prepare appeals, send notices of judgments and pretrial conferences, process attachments, administer oaths, record documents and exhibits offered in open court, and transcribe court minutes. That is why a docket entry is not the same thing as the full case record.
Livingston Parish Specialty Courts
The 21st JDC publishes specialty program pages for Adult Drug Court, Juvenile Drug Court, and Veterans Treatment Court. Specialty-court participation can affect docket events, probation terms, treatment obligations, court appearances, testing, costs, and post-disposition records. It does not make a private eligibility decision public. Eligibility and active status should be confirmed through the court, counsel, or the assigned program.
The Adult Drug Court image comes from the 21st JDC Adult Drug Court page.
Adult Drug Court is tied to Louisiana's drug treatment court framework and may appear in criminal case activity.
The Juvenile Drug Court image comes from the 21st JDC Juvenile Drug Court page.
Juvenile Drug Court records must be handled with juvenile confidentiality limits in mind.
The Veterans Treatment Court image comes from the 21st JDC Veterans Treatment Court page.
Veterans Treatment Court is a voluntary treatment and supervision program for qualifying criminal cases.
Livingston Parish Division L
Division L is important for traffic, misdemeanor, and juvenile court routing. The research file identifies Judge Matthew S. Belser as handling misdemeanor, traffic, and juvenile court, with Livingston office phone (225) 686-7461 and secretary Tiffany King. When a citation or misdemeanor is outside municipal limits, this district-level traffic or misdemeanor path may apply. When the citation is inside Denham Springs or Walker, the municipal court path may apply instead.
The Division L image comes from the 21st JDC Division L page.
Division L is the clearest local example of how district court traffic, misdemeanor, and juvenile calendars intersect.
Livingston Parish Federal Distinction
Federal court is separate from Livingston Parish District Court. Livingston Parish is in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana under 28 U.S.C. 98, and federal court for the district is held at Baton Rouge. Federal filings are accessed through PACER and the federal court's CM/ECF system, not through the Livingston Parish Clerk. Federal cases may include federal crimes, federal-question civil cases, diversity cases, Social Security appeals, prisoner litigation, or other federal jurisdiction matters.
The federal court image comes from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
The federal image helps separate parish district court records from federal case records in Baton Rouge.