St. Mary Parish District Court
St. Mary Parish's primary trial court is the 16th Judicial District Court. The 16th JDC covers Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary Parishes and states that it has original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters in those parishes. The court has eight elected judges divided into Divisions A through H. Two judges are elected from Section One, Divisions G and H, and six judges are elected from Section Two, Divisions A through F.
The parish record office is the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court, located in the Franklin courthouse. The Clerk keeps the filings, indexes, docket histories, certified copies, marriage records, succession records, mortgage records, conveyance records, and other public records tied to the court. The court site explains judges, family court, court structure, and calendars, but it is not the same thing as a full public case-search database.
The 16th JDC St. Mary family court source appears in the official St. Mary Parish court page.
The image source ties St. Mary Parish District Court access to the 16th JDC family court and hearing officer channel.
St. Mary District Court Divisions
The 16th JDC division list is district-wide, so several judge pages list addresses in New Iberia or St. Martinville even though the case may concern St. Mary Parish. That is normal for a three-parish district. For copies and filing records, use the St. Mary Parish Clerk. For judge-specific rules, orders, calendars, and division contacts, use the 16th JDC division pages.
| Court / Division | Judge or Officer | Address / Contact | St. Mary Relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th JDC Division A | Judge Anthony Thibodeaux | 415 S. Main Street, Ste. 214, P.O. Box 367, St. Martinville, LA 70582-0367; (337) 394-6133 ext. 2603; DivisionA@16jdc.org | General civil and criminal district judge with St. Mary private practice history. |
| 16th JDC Division B | Judge Suzanne de Mahy | Division page contact | Civil and criminal dockets across Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary. |
| 16th JDC Division C | Judge Vincent J. Borne | Division page | Presides over Juvenile Court in St. Mary Parish in addition to civil and criminal court. |
| 16th JDC Division D | Judge Lewis Pitman | 300 Iberia Street, Suite 210, New Iberia, LA 70560; 337-369-4410; DivisionD@16jdc.org | District judge in the three-parish district. |
| 16th JDC Division E | Judge Keith Comeaux | 300 Iberia Street, Suite 210, New Iberia, LA 70560; (337) 369-4410 ext. 223; DivisionE@16jdc.org | Transcript requests by email, criminal jury charges, and calendar linked. |
| 16th JDC Division F | Judge Anthony J. Saleme Jr. | Division page | Former felony and misdemeanor prosecutor in St. Mary Parish and former chief prosecutor there. |
| 16th JDC Division G | Judge Curtis Sigur | 415 South Main Street, P.O. Box 626, St. Martinville, LA 70582; 337-394-2216 ext. 2606; DivisionG@16jdc.org | Full court dockets including civil, criminal, juvenile, and drug court. |
| 16th JDC Division H | Judge Roger P. Hamilton Jr. | 300 Iberia St., Suite 210, New Iberia, LA 70560; 337-369-4410; DivisionH@16jdc.org | Elected Chief Judge of the 16th JDC in 2025. |
| St. Mary Parish Hearing Officer | Jill M. DeCourt | 500 Main Street, Suite 601, Franklin, LA 70538; (337) 828-4100 ext. 601; stmaryfamilycourt@16jdc.org | Family filings, custody, support, domestic violence, property use, community property, and criminal nonsupport. |
District Court vs Lower Courts
Not every St. Mary Parish court problem belongs in the District Court. Louisiana's lower local courts can matter for city, mayor's, justice of the peace, traffic, ordinance, bench-warrant, and smaller civil matters. The issuing court controls many citations and bench warrants, so a person should not assume that the 16th JDC eSearch system holds every local case.
| Feature | District Court | City or Mayor's Court | Justice of the Peace Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | General jurisdiction civil, criminal, family, succession, and juvenile forum. | Local municipal, ordinance, traffic, and city-level matters where authorized. | Smaller local civil matters, marriages, and local process where the ward court remains active. |
| Record office | St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court for district filings and certified copies. | The issuing city or mayor's court controls its own local docket. | The JP or constable channel controls local ward records and process. |
| Warrants | District warrants may appear in criminal docket history or sheriff channels. | Bench warrants can arise from missed local court appearances. | Local process and warrants depend on the issuing JP court. |
| Traffic | Some district-level traffic and Wildlife and Fisheries cases use the St. Mary nCourt landing. | Municipal traffic may stay with the local court. | Some local citation or process matters may involve JP channels. |
St. Mary Court Process
A case can move through several offices before it becomes a final record. The path differs by case type, but the following flow shows the common public-record chain for St. Mary Parish District Court cases.
Civil flow: Petition filed › Clerk indexing › service › answer or exception › motions and discovery › hearing or trial › judgment › certified copies or appeal.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › DA charging review › bill of information or indictment › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › sentence › appeal or expungement if eligible.
Family flow: Petition or rule › Clerk filing › hearing officer process where assigned › recommendation › judge review › order or judgment › later modification if allowed.
The process diagram is a locator, not a promise that all details appear online. eSearch may show index and docket history, while pleadings, exhibits, certified judgments, or restricted materials require Clerk service.
St. Mary Family Juvenile Court
Family Court in St. Mary Parish has a named hearing officer channel. Jill M. DeCourt hears and makes recommendations on custody, child support, domestic violence litigation, spousal support, use of property, community property, ancillary divorce and custody issues, and criminal nonsupport. The stated goal is to help parties resolve personal and property issues where possible and reduce the need for full court hearings.
Juvenile Court is a separate access concern. Judge Vincent J. Borne's page says he presides over Juvenile Court in St. Mary Parish. Louisiana Children's Code article 412 makes records and reports concerning matters or proceedings before juvenile court confidential, except traffic violations and other authorized disclosures. Public lookup should not be expected for juvenile delinquency, child-related, adoption, or protected minor records.
Note: Child-related family material may be public in part, sealed in part, or redacted depending on the filing and court order.
St. Mary Courtroom Rules
The Franklin courthouse is a multi-office building. The Clerk of Court is on the second floor, the District Attorney is on the third floor, the Sheriff's Office headquarters is on the fourth floor, and jurors report to the sixth floor as instructed by the recorded message. Jurors call after 6:00 PM the day before service at (337) 828-4238 or (337) 828-4100 option 6.
- No cell phones, iPads, recording devices, electronic communication devices, or cameras are allowed on the courtroom floor.
- Proper dress is required for court and jury service.
- Shorts and tank tops are not allowed.
- Belts must be worn with pants designed with belt loops.
- Bailiffs direct jurors to the correct courtroom after reporting.
These rules come from the Clerk's jury page and are practical for any District Court visit, not just jury service.
St. Mary Criminal Court Offices
The 16th Judicial District Attorney serves Iberia, St. Martin, and St. Mary Parishes. The St. Mary Parish DA office is at 500 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Courthouse Building, Franklin, LA 70538; phone (337) 828-4100 ext. 350; fax (337) 828-7905. The office directory lists St. Mary contacts for criminal prosecution and traffic, worthless checks, child support, victim-witness assistance, pretrial diversion and probation, adult drug court, and related divisions.
The Louisiana State Public Defender District 16 office covers the same three-parish district. The District Defender is Maggie S. LeBlanc. The St. Mary Parish public defender office is at 107 Wilson Street, Franklin, LA 70538, phone (337) 828-3628, with Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM hours. These offices matter because a criminal case record may show DA filings, defense counsel, pleas, diversion, probation, or public defender appointment activity.
Appeals and Federal Courts
State District Court judgments from St. Mary Parish appeal to the Louisiana Court of Appeal, with further review possible in the Louisiana Supreme Court. Federal matters are different. St. Mary Parish is served federally by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, not by the 16th JDC. The closest practical federal courthouse information found in official sources was the Lafayette courthouse, with federal business handled through the Western District.
The federal court source appears through the Western District of Louisiana Lafayette courthouse page.
The federal courthouse source marks the boundary between parish District Court records and federal civil or criminal cases.
Bankruptcy is also federal, and the manifest includes the Louisiana Western Bankruptcy Court website.
Bankruptcy cases should not be requested from the St. Mary Parish Clerk unless a related state court judgment or local record is also involved.