Felony & Major Civil Court · Calcasieu Parish
14th Judicial
District Court
The 14th Judicial District Court is where felony criminal cases in Calcasieu Parish are heard — from arraignment through trial. Carter Bail Bonds works with this court's schedule and process daily. Available 24/7 at Louisiana's straightforward 12% rate.
Quick Facts
Table Of Contents
Jump straight to what you need — court jurisdiction, bail process, and FAQs.
About the 14th Judicial District Court
What This Court Handles
How This Court Connects to the Bail Process
Nearby Jails & Detention Centers
What We Need When You Call
FAQs — 14th Judicial District Court
About the 14th Judicial District Court
The 14th Judicial District Court is one of Louisiana's 43 judicial districts and has original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters in Calcasieu Parish. Ten elected judges sit on the court (Divisions A through J), along with a Magistrate Judge who handles bail-related matters, including bail hearings and first appearances.
The court sits at the Calcasieu Parish Judicial Center in Lake Charles, a building constructed in 1994 that adjoins the Historic Calcasieu Courthouse. While the historic courthouse (see our Calcasieu Parish Courthouse page) houses the Clerk of Court's records and filings, the Judicial Center is where actual civil and criminal hearings take place.
Parking & directions: Free parking is available at the Lake Charles Event Center, directly across Lakeshore Drive from the courthouse. The Judicial Center sits just off Interstate 10, right after crossing the Calcasieu River Bridge — easy to find coming from any direction.
What This Court Handles
- Felony criminal trials and proceedings
- Arraignments and bail hearings (often through the Magistrate Judge)
- Major civil litigation
- Divorce, custody, and family law matters not handled by the separate Juvenile Court
- Probation revocation hearings
- Appeals from lower parish courts (City Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts) on certain matters
The 14th JDC's felony criminal caseload spans the full range of charges Carter Bail Bonds handles — including DUI, theft, burglary, assault & battery, robbery, drug charges, and more serious matters like manslaughter and murder. Visit our Charges We Handle directory for penalty details, typical bail ranges, and the process specific to any charge.
For charges that don't rise to felony level, see the relevant City Court for your area instead — Sulphur City Court, DeQuincy City Court, or Vinton City Court, depending on where the arrest happened.
How This Court Connects to the Bail Process
For felony arrests in Calcasieu Parish, bail is frequently set by a judge or the Magistrate Judge at this court rather than through a standard bail schedule — particularly for higher-severity charges. This means the bail amount for many felony cases isn't finalized until after a first appearance or bail hearing here.
What this means practically: if your loved one was arrested on a felony charge, there may be a short delay before bail is actually set, since it requires a hearing rather than an automatic schedule. Carter Bail Bonds can post the bond immediately once the court sets an amount — call us as soon as you know, and we'll be ready to move the moment bail is available.
For charges carrying a constitutional bail exception (see our Murder Bail Bonds page), this court is also where a bail hearing to determine whether bail is available at all would take place.
Before you go: Arrive early for any scheduled hearing to allow time for courthouse security. If you have a pending criminal matter and don't yet have an attorney, see the Legal Resources note earlier on this page or contact the 14th JDC public defender's office.
Nearby Jails & Detention Centers
If someone connected to a case at this court is in custody, they're almost certainly being held at one of these two Calcasieu Parish facilities.
Calcasieu Correctional Center
The primary booking facility for Calcasieu Parish.
Calcasieu Sheriff's Prison
A larger regional facility adjacent to the Correctional Center, including the Women's Correctional Services Annex.
What We Need When You Call
Having these details ready helps us move quickly. Don't have everything? Call anyway — we can often look it up.
Full Legal Name
First, middle, and last name of the defendant.
The Specific Charge
Helps us understand what stage of the process applies.
Whether a Bail Hearing Has Occurred
Tells us whether bail has already been set or is still pending.
Your Contact Info
Your name, phone number, and relationship to the defendant.
Court-Set Bail Amount (if known)
Lets us begin discussing your options immediately.
FAQs — 14th Judicial District Court
Straight answers to the questions families ask us most about this court.