Baton Rouge City Court or the 19th JDC? Which Court Will Hear Your Case

People routinely show up at the wrong courthouse. It is an understandable mistake, because Baton Rouge has two criminal courts operating within a few blocks of each other and the routing rule is not obvious.

The short version: the level of the charge and the place of the alleged offense decide the court, not where you live.

Baton Rouge City Court, at 233 St. Louis Street, generally handles misdemeanors and traffic offenses arising inside Baton Rouge city limits.The 19th Judicial District Court, at 300 North Boulevard, handles misdemeanor and felony cases from anywhere in East Baton Rouge Parish, including offenses arising in Central.

Charges arising in Denham Springs fall under Livingston Parish and the 21st Judicial District Court, a different parish and a different court system entirely, even though Denham Springs is a twenty minute drive from downtown Baton Rouge.Why this matters beyond logistics. Different courts mean different prosecutors, different judges, different diversion programs, and different practical expectations about how a case resolves. A charge that would ordinarily be handled one way in City Court may be handled differently in another jurisdiction with the same facts. Knowing the room is part of the work.

A case can also move. A charge filed as a misdemeanor may be billed as a felony, which moves the matter from City Court to the 19th JDC. That transition is a moment where deadlines get missed by people representing themselves.
If you are not certain which court has your case, bring us your paperwork and we will tell you.