Beauregard Parish District Court Overview
The 36th Judicial District Court is the District Court for Beauregard Parish. The court states that it has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in the parish. Louisiana district courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction, which means they handle the broad set of cases not assigned exclusively to a more limited court. In Beauregard Parish, that includes ordinary civil suits, criminal prosecutions, family and divorce matters, succession and probate-style filings, and related court proceedings.
The court has two elected divisions. Division A is Chief Judge Martha Ann O'Neal, and Division B is Judge C. Kerry Anderson. The Louisiana Supreme Court district-court appendix captured in the research says the 36th JDC has two judicial positions and that the divisions do not have exclusive subject-matter jurisdiction. Judges rotate monthly between civil and criminal dockets. That rotation is why a case record should be checked by case number, party name, and filing history rather than assuming one division always handles one case type.
The official 36th JDC homepage gives the court address, hours, judge links, jury information, rules, language-service links, and online court resources.
The court site is a strong starting point for local court operations, while the Clerk of Court remains the route for the case file itself.
Beauregard Parish District Court Divisions
Beauregard Parish does not have a long list of separate numbered district courts. It has one judicial district court with two divisions at the same courthouse. The table below follows the Phase B court-list requirement but reflects the local structure: Division A and Division B are the elected District Court divisions, and the clerk is included because the clerk keeps the public case record for those divisions.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36th Judicial District Court | Primary trial court / general jurisdiction | 200 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634 | 337-463-7993 |
| Division A, Chief Judge Martha Ann O'Neal | District Court division | 200 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634 | 337-463-7993 |
| Division B, Judge C. Kerry Anderson | District Court division | 200 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634 | 337-463-7993 |
| Beauregard Parish Clerk of Court | Unified court/public-record clerk | 200 West Second Street, DeRidder, LA 70634; mailing P.O. Box 100 | 337-463-8595 |
The Division A judge page identifies Chief Judge Martha Ann O'Neal and court staff contacts.
Division pages are useful for chamber contacts and court operations, but they are not substitutes for Clerk of Court case-record requests.
The Division B judge page identifies Judge C. Kerry Anderson and staff contact information.
Because both divisions rotate between civil and criminal dockets, users should verify active case assignments through the court or clerk before appearing.
District Court vs Lower Courts
Louisiana's court structure includes district courts, city courts, parish courts, justice of the peace courts, mayor's courts, and appellate courts. Beauregard Parish's record-heavy local court is the 36th Judicial District Court, but lower courts can still matter for small civil matters, municipal ordinance cases, traffic matters, or the court named on a ticket. The official research did not locate a complete Beauregard Parish ward-by-ward justice-court table, so lower-court entries should be verified through the citation, summons, or local directory named in the case papers.
| Feature | District Court | Justice of the Peace Court | Mayor's or Municipal Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | General trial court for civil and criminal matters in Beauregard Parish. | Limited civil jurisdiction concurrent with district courts up to $5,000 under state court-structure guidance. | Municipal ordinance and local traffic/payment matters where created. |
| Criminal Scope | Felony and misdemeanor prosecutions filed in the 36th JDC. | Very limited criminal jurisdiction. | Ordinance and citation matters tied to the municipality or agency. |
| Records Route | Clerk of Court case records and court division information. | Local ward or court contact must be verified from official local sources. | Named court, city office, sheriff payment route, or citation vendor. |
| Appeal Path | Louisiana Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, then Louisiana Supreme Court when allowed. | Depends on case type and statute. | Depends on ordinance, court, and ticket terms. |
Beauregard Parish District Case Flow
District Court case flow depends on the case type. A civil suit starts when a petition or other pleading is filed with the Clerk of Court. The clerk opens and indexes the case, processes filings, collects fees, and keeps minutes when court is in session. Hearings, motions, trial settings, judgments, and appeals then create more docket and minute entries.
Criminal court flow begins outside the clerk's office with arrest, summons, investigation, or charging decisions. The District Attorney decides whether charges are filed. Once charges are filed in court, the clerk opens and indexes the criminal case, and the record may show arraignment, pretrial motions, pleas, trial, disposition, sentence, probation, or appeal steps.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › District Attorney charge filing › Clerk opens case › Arraignment › Pretrial motions › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal.
Civil flow: Petition filed › Answer or responsive pleading › Motions and discovery › Hearing or trial › Judgment › Collection, enforcement, or appeal.
Note: A jail booking record and a District Court criminal case record are related, but they are not the same file.
Beauregard Parish Court Case Types
The 36th JDC handles civil and criminal matters for the parish. Civil records can include ordinary lawsuits, collections, custody, paternity, damage petitions, evictions, executory process, garnishments, writs, name changes, interdictions, tutorships, and succession matters. Family and divorce proceedings are civil district-court matters, although some sensitive filings may be restricted by law or court order.
Criminal records are kept through the clerk's Criminal Department after charges are filed. These case files are different from the Sheriff roster, which shows booking and current custody information. A District Court criminal record is the court file that tracks filed charges, minutes, motions, pleas, trial activity, disposition, sentencing, and any later post-conviction or appeal-related entries.
- Succession and probate-style matters are filed through the District Court and Clerk of Court, not a separate county probate court.
- Juvenile records are generally confidential under Louisiana Children's Code article 412, subject to statutory exceptions.
- Adoption records are confidential under Louisiana Children's Code article 1186.
- Traffic matters may use the court, sheriff payment route, or municipality named on the citation.
Beauregard Parish District Court Access
The court and clerk publish different kinds of access. The District Court site provides judge pages, local rules, jury-duty guidance, court forms, contact information, language-service links, and history. The Clerk of Court provides case-record access, copies, certifications, and online portal routes for civil and criminal case searching. A person who needs a court date, rule, or division contact may start with the 36th JDC. A person who needs the filed record or certified copy should contact the clerk.
The 36th JDC contact page lists court contact information, judges' chambers, clerk phone, and fax routes.
That contact page helps separate chamber and court-operation questions from Clerk of Court records questions.
The 36th JDC rules page links local and statewide district-court rules. Rules can affect docket timing, hearing practice, and how court records are created during a case.
Beauregard Parish Jury and Courthouse Rules
Jury service rules are a strong local courthouse detail. The 36th JDC jury-duty page says jurors must call 337-463-7993 the day before reporting for a recorded message. Jurors are subject to search when entering the courthouse. Cell phones are not allowed. Proper clothing is required, and the court names tank tops, halters, and shorts as improper clothing.
The Clerk jury handbook says registered voters are placed into the clerk's computer once a year, duplicates are removed, and random selection produces jury subpoenas. Jurors report to the main courtroom on the second floor. The research also notes that interpreter and language-service links appear on the 36th JDC site in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, which is a practical access point for court visitors.
The 36th JDC jury-duty page publishes courthouse-entry, phone-check, and dress guidance.
Those local rules matter for anyone appearing at the courthouse for a docket, hearing, record request, or jury summons.
Beauregard Parish Court History
Beauregard Parish was created June 12, 1912, from Calcasieu Parish. The court structure changed several times before the present 36th JDC. The parish was first placed in the Fifteenth Judicial District, moved to the Fourteenth Judicial District in 1921, became part of the Thirtieth Judicial District with Vernon Parish in 1956, and became the Thirty-Sixth Judicial District in 1979 as a single-parish district.
The original courthouse dates to 1914. The 36th JDC history page says the court had one judge until a second judgeship was added in 1997. A renovation and annex project was pushed in 2009 because the old courthouse lacked disabled access and modern facilities. Voters approved a sales tax with 69 percent support, and the renovated courthouse resumed business on September 5, 2017. The project preserved original architecture, restored the main courtroom mural and crest, and made the stained-glass dome visible again.
The 36th JDC history page documents the courthouse's district changes, renovation, and restored features.
That history also explains why older Beauregard Parish District Court records may refer to prior judicial districts even though current matters are in the 36th JDC.