§621.22. Twenty-Second Judicial District

A. The Twenty-Second Judicial District Court shall have twelve judges, including the two additional judgeships created in Subsection B of this Section.

B. There are hereby created two additional district judgeships for the Twenty-Second Judicial District for the parishes of St. Tammany and Washington.

(1) The first additional judge provided for in this Subsection and his successors shall preside over Division K, which is hereby created for purposes of nomination, election, and subject matter only. The subject matter jurisdiction of Division K is limited, under the provisions of Article V, Section 15(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to family and juvenile matters as provided by law.

(2) The second additional judge provided for in this Subsection and his successors shall preside over Division L, which is hereby created for purposes of nomination, election, and subject matter only. The subject matter jurisdiction of Division L is limited, under the provisions of Article V, Section 15(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana, to family and juvenile matters as provided by law.

(3) For purposes of this Subsection, "family and juvenile matters" shall include all actions arising under Titles IV, V, and VII of Book I and Title VI of Book III of the Civil Code and related provisions of the Civil Code Ancillaries, all actions arising under the Children's Code, adoptions arising under the Civil Code, actions involving protection from family violence pursuant to R.S. 46:2131 et seq., and actions for enforcement, collection of support, and paternity pursuant to R.S. 46:236.1.1 et seq.

(4) For purposes of this Subsection "juvenile matters" shall include but not be limited to all actions arising under or incidental to the Children's Code.

(5) For purposes of this Subsection, the subject matter jurisdiction shall also include all actions incidental to all matters listed in Paragraphs (3) and (4) of this Subsection, including but not limited to contempt, civil warrants, writs of habeas corpus, curatorship, change of name, prenuptial or separate property agreements, interspousal donations, lesions, and challenge to consent judgment.

C. The judges and their successors created by this Section shall be elected as provided by Article V, Section 22 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and each shall serve a term which shall begin on January 1, 2009, which shall expire at the same time as is provided by law for the other judges of the court. Thereafter, each successor to the judges provided for in this Section shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner, and shall serve the same terms as now or may be provided hereafter for other judges of the court.

D. The judges and their successors created by this Section shall have jurisdiction throughout the district and receive the same compensation and expense allowances, payable from the same sources and in the same manner, as are provided for other judges of the Twenty-Second Judicial District.

E. The jurisdiction or term of office of any other judge of the district shall not be affected or reduced by the creation of the judgeships.

Acts 1990, No. 8, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 41, §1, eff. June 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 325, §1(A), eff. June 20, 1997; Acts 2001, No. 779, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2008, No. 344, §1, eff. June 23, 2008; Acts 2014, No. 821, §1, eff. June 23, 2014.

NOTE: See Acts 2014, No. 821, §§2, 3, relative to applicability and the 2008 R.S.