La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 261
This is the official text of La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 261, part of Louisiana’s Code of Criminal Procedure — sets the procedural rules for criminal cases in Louisiana.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Special definitions
Official statutory text
In this Title:
(1) "Crime" means any offense denounced by a state statute and does not include an offense denounced by a local ordinance.
(2) "Governor" includes any person performing the functions of governor by authority of the law of this state.
(3) "Executive authority" includes the governor, and any person performing the functions of governor in a state other than this state.
(4) "Indictment" is limited in meaning to the finding of a grand jury.
(5) "Judge" means any judge of a district court with criminal jurisdiction.
(6) "State," when used with reference to a state other than this state, means any state or territory of the United States of America, and includes the District of Columbia.
(1) "Crime" means any offense denounced by a state statute and does not include an offense denounced by a local ordinance.
(2) "Governor" includes any person performing the functions of governor by authority of the law of this state.
(3) "Executive authority" includes the governor, and any person performing the functions of governor in a state other than this state.
(4) "Indictment" is limited in meaning to the finding of a grand jury.
(5) "Judge" means any judge of a district court with criminal jurisdiction.
(6) "State," when used with reference to a state other than this state, means any state or territory of the United States of America, and includes the District of Columbia.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a criminal defense matter in Louisiana?
See all Louisiana Criminal Defense lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.