DA: Caddo Parish criminal court ranked among state's most active in 2025
SHREVEPORT, La. -- The release of the Louisiana Supreme Court's 2025 annual report highlights Caddo Parish's criminal justice system as one of the state's most active, according to the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office.
Caddo Parish Courthouse
SHREVEPORT, La. -- The release of the Louisiana Supreme Court's 2025 annual report highlights Caddo Parish's criminal justice system as one of the state's most active, according to the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office.
The report shows that Caddo Parish, with a population of 224,893, conducted 64 criminal jury trials in 2025. The trials were handled by five criminal court judges without the assistance of court commissioners or hearing officers often used in larger parishes for pretrial matters such as bail hearings, District Attorney James Stewart said Monday in his monthly update of court cases handled by his office.
By comparison, Ouachita Parish conducted nine criminal jury trials with five criminal court judges. East Baton Rouge Parish, the state's largest parish with a population of 457,180, conducted 22 jury trials with nine judges and four commissioners assigned to criminal court. Jefferson Parish conducted 68 criminal jury trials with 16 criminal court judges and three commissioners, while Orleans Parish conducted 137 jury trials with 13 judges and four commissioners.
Other similarly populated parishes reported fewer jury trials. Lafayette Parish, with a population of 261,751 and 13 criminal court judges, conducted eight criminal jury trials. St. Tammany Parish, with a population of 280,500, conducted 36 jury trials with 12 criminal court judges and two commissioners.
The report also highlighted activity in Caddo Parish Juvenile Court. Prosecutors and judges handled 677 delinquency cases and 137 child in need of care cases during 2025. A total of 329 children were removed from parental custody because of abuse or neglect. Jefferson Parish reported 687 delinquency filings in juvenile court during the same period.
In a statement accompanying the report, Stewart credited the work of prosecutors, judges, court staff, law enforcement agencies, the Public Defender Office and Caddo Parish residents who serve on juries and testify in court proceedings.
The district attorney said the figures demonstrate the productivity of Caddo Parish's criminal justice system despite ongoing challenges, including a court system that continues to process more arrests than case dispositions.