On this page
- Is my New Orleans case in Criminal District Court or Municipal and Traffic Court?
- What should I expect at Criminal District Court on Tulane Avenue?
- Where is New Orleans traffic court now?
- What happens after an NOPD arrest?
- How does Barry's Orleans Parish career help your defense?
- Which New Orleans charges do we defend?
- Arrested in New Orleans while visiting? Here is what to do
- Which New Orleans neighborhoods do we serve?
Is my New Orleans case in Criminal District Court or Municipal and Traffic Court?
Your case goes to Criminal District Court if you are charged with a felony or a state misdemeanor, and to Municipal and Traffic Court if you are charged with breaking a city ordinance or a traffic law. Orleans Parish is different from its neighbors: it has a court that hears only criminal cases instead of a numbered district court.
| Court | Address | What it hears |
|---|---|---|
| Orleans Parish Criminal District Court | 2700 Tulane Ave. | Felonies and state misdemeanors |
| New Orleans Municipal and Traffic Court | 727 S. Broad St. | City ordinance violations and traffic violations |
| Orleans Parish Juvenile Court | 1100-B Milton St. | Delinquency cases for children under 17 |
| U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana | 500 Poydras St. | Federal charges |
Some charges, including a first DWI, can be written under state law or under a city ordinance, and that choice decides the courtroom. Look at the court named on your ticket or bond papers. If it is unclear, we will confirm it for you.
What should I expect at Criminal District Court on Tulane Avenue?
Expect a busy courthouse where the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office prosecutes every felony in the city. Locals call it "Tulane and Broad" because it sits at that corner, and the DA's main office is at 1340 Poydras St.
The law puts the DA on a clock. If you are held in jail, prosecutors generally have 60 days to formally charge a felony and 30 days for a misdemeanor. If you are out on bond, they have 150 days for a felony and 90 for a misdemeanor. Arraignment must follow within 30 days of the charge unless there is just cause.
If your case goes to trial, every felony jury verdict in Louisiana must be unanimous. That rule came from a 2018 state constitutional amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Ramos v. Louisiana. One juror who is not convinced can stop a conviction.
Where is New Orleans traffic court now?
New Orleans Municipal and Traffic Court is back at 727 S. Broad St. It returned on January 5, 2026, after Hurricane Ida forced it out of the building, and it ran from 1601 Perdido St. in the meantime. If an older notice lists the Perdido address, check before you go.
The court itself is fairly new. The old Municipal Court and Traffic Court were merged by Act 845 of 2014, and the combined court opened on January 1, 2017. It hears city ordinance violations and traffic violations.
Do not skip a traffic court date. When you fail to appear, the court notifies the state, your license can be suspended, a $100 fee is owed to the OMV to clear it, and a judge can issue a bench warrant. Our New Orleans traffic ticket lawyer page explains your options.
What happens after an NOPD arrest?
After a New Orleans Police Department arrest, most people are taken to the Orleans Justice Center, the parish jail run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office at 2800 Perdido St. The state also lists a Temporary Detention Center at 3000 Perdido St.
- Booking. Fingerprints, photos and a record of the charges.
- Probable cause review. If you were arrested without a warrant, a judge should decide within 48 hours whether there was probable cause.
- First appearance. You must see a judge within 72 hours, not counting weekends and legal holidays. Bail is set or reviewed here.
- Charging decision. The DA decides whether to file charges, and on what.
The first appearance is where a lawyer can argue for a reasonable bond. Call (504) 905-8399 the moment you hear about an arrest. Learn more about bail and bond hearings and how bail works in Louisiana.
How does Barry's Orleans Parish career help your defense?
Barry has worked on almost every side of an Orleans Parish criminal case, and that experience shapes how he defends you.
- Student practitioner at Loyola. He helped represent people in Orleans Parish who could not afford a lawyer and helped secure the release of a client wrongly charged with first degree murder.
- Staff attorney to Judge Darryl A. Derbigny of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. He reviewed criminal pleadings, advised the court on evidence and procedure, and drafted jury instructions. He helped the court reverse a wrongful second degree murder conviction, a ruling the Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed, and helped rewrite the court's expungement procedure.
- Assistant District Attorney, Orleans Parish. He served as first and second chair trial prosecutor on felony cases in juvenile court.
- Defense trial and appeals attorney at one of the largest criminal defense firms in New Orleans, where he won writs in the courts of appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
He knows how Orleans prosecutors build cases because he built them. No lawyer can promise an outcome, but Barry works to find the weak spots in the state's case and to push for dismissals, reduced charges or alternatives to jail when the facts support it. Read Barry's full bio.
Which New Orleans charges do we defend?
We defend misdemeanors and felonies throughout the city. The charges we hear about most from New Orleans include:
- DWI. You have 30 days from the arrest to request an OMV hearing. See our New Orleans DWI lawyer page.
- Drug charges. Possession of 14 grams of marijuana or less is a fine of up to $100 with a summons, but other drugs carry real prison exposure. See our New Orleans drug lawyer page.
- Traffic tickets in Municipal and Traffic Court.
- Gun and weapons charges. Permitless concealed carry is legal for eligible adults since July 4, 2024, but carrying is still banned in places like courthouses, schools and government buildings.
- Theft and shoplifting, domestic violence and violent crimes
- Juvenile cases. Since April 2024, 17-year-olds are charged as adults.
Arrested in New Orleans while visiting? Here is what to do
Call a local lawyer before you leave town. A missed court date in New Orleans can turn into a warrant, even if you live in another state. Waiting until you get home to deal with a citation or arrest from the French Quarter or anywhere else in the city can make things worse.
We offer consultations by phone and video, so you do not have to be in Louisiana to talk with us. Depending on the charge and the court, a lawyer may be able to handle some dates without you there. We will tell you what to expect once we know the charge. See our page on arrest warrants if you think one has already been issued.
Which New Orleans neighborhoods do we serve?
We serve the whole city, from the French Quarter, Mid-City and Uptown to Gentilly, New Orleans East and Algiers on the West Bank, which is still part of Orleans Parish. All of these cases run through the same courts at Tulane and Broad and on South Broad Street.
Our office at 4224 Florida Ave. in Kenner is about 20 to 25 minutes (roughly 13 miles) from Criminal District Court. You can meet Barry at the office or by phone or video. For parish-wide details, visit our Orleans Parish criminal defense page.
If you or someone you love was arrested in New Orleans, call (504) 905-8399. We answer 24/7, and the first consultation is free and confidential.