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Frequently Asked Questions
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Please click here for the Court Locations page which includes the street and mailing address of each Clerk's Office, as well as phone numbers. NOTE: Judges cannot be reached directly. If you have a question or comment for one of the judges, please contact a member of the staff or write to them at the appropriate address.
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No. Venue only applies to the district. 28 U.S.C. 98(c) Divisions were created for the convenience of the court in administration of cases. LR 77.3 As a reminder, the Western District of Louisiana is a mandatory e-filing court. If you have a login and password to CM/ECF, your pleadings should be filed electronically. If your filing requires manual submission, it may be mailed or hand delivered to any our five divisions. For location information, navigate to the home page and click the Courts tab and then Court Locations
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You may e-file anytime using CM/ECF. If you are not authorized to e-file, you may file during normal business hours or by mail. Navigate to the home page, click on the Courts tab and then on Court Locations for directions to the divisional offices as well as mailing addresses.
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On-line information (i.e., PACER) for all divisions is available for non-sealed civil cases filed 1/1/1990 and after and non-sealed criminal cases filed 1/1/1993 and after. This information is also available at public terminals at each division. Microfilm indices are maintained in each division from 1/1/1978 to approximately 6/14/1994. Prior to 1978, part name index cards for the entire district are available in the Shreveport Clerk's Office.
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Generally, cases are assigned on a geographic basis to the judges in the division to which the case is allotted. The cases, both civil and criminal, are randomly assigned upon filing to the judges in that division. Please note that some judges may share caseloads in divisions other than the division to which the judge resides. For example, Judge Foote, a Shreveport Division judge, may be randomly assigned to a Monroe Division case pursuant to the case assignment standing order. See SO 1.61 on the District-Wide Orders page.
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Under the Local Rules for the Western District of Louisiana, neither discovery nor notices of deposition are filed. Exceptions include excerpts of discovery materials used to support a motion and when the court orders filing of particular discovery materials. See LR 26.5.
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No. Filings fees are required for certain, not all, pleadings. Please click HERE to visit our Fees and Online Payments information.
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Make checks payable to: Clerk, U. S. District Court.
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For general information regarding post judgment interest, visit the Administrative Office (A.O.) of the U.S. Courts at http://www.uscourts.gov/services-forms/fees/post-judgement-interest-rate, or call the A.O. at 1-202-502-4369. For the current interest rate, visit: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/.
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The Western District of Louisiana holds naturalization ceremonies for new citizens. Applicants for citizenship must file a Petition for Naturalization with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Forms and further information may be obtained from the USCIS website (http://uscis.gov) or from the regional office at:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Metairie Centre Suite 300 (Third Floor)
2424 Edenborn Avenue
Metaire, LA 7001
1-800-375-5283 -
Naturalization petition stubs (sorted by name of the petitioner) from 1907-1996 are on file at the National Archives in Ft. Worth, TX. Thereafter, petitions are maintained by the U. S. Customs and Immigration Service. The court in Shreveport maintains an order listing petitioners from 1996 to present. An approximate date of naturalization must be known to conduct a search.
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The U. S. Customs and Immigration Service will send a written notice when you are to be naturalized, usually 2-3 weeks prior to the ceremony.
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No. Replacement certificates are provided by the U. S. Customs and Immigration Service Office that issued the original certificate.
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The Western District of Louisiana no longer issues passports. Visit the U.S. State Department's website: http://travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a passport.
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No. For births or deaths which occurred in Louisiana, you will need to contact the Department of Health and Hospitals for the State of Louisiana.
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Our office accepts cash, checks, money orders, and payments by credit card. If paying a fine or restitution by credit card, the card must be issued to the defendant paying the criminal debt.
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No. Credit card payments must be made in-person at any of our five divisional offices located in Alexandria, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport, and Lafayette.
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Yes. Our non-sealed or restricted cases which contain documents scanned from 1999 to present can be accessed online by using the PACER service. Click HERE for more information on PACER.
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All of the district court fees are maintained in a schedule. Click HERE to view.
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No. Our office is unable to make change for over payments. Exact change is required.
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Pardons are a function of the President of the United States of America, and may include pardon, commutation of a sentence, remission of fine or restitution, and reprieve. This process is handled through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Please visit www.justice.gov/pardon for more information.
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Like pardons, clemency is a function of the President of the United States of America and is handled through the Office of the Pardon Attorney. For more information, please visit www.justice.gov/pardon/new-clemency-initiative or https://clemencyproject2014.org.
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Expungements are handled on a case-by-case basis by the presiding judge. Any request for expungment must be made in writing and filed with the Clerk of Court. PLEASE NOTE: This office DOES NOT have a form for expungement.