Background
Norris Wright sought supervisory review in the Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit, arising from William and Maria Bates’s case against him in the City Court of East Baton Rouge, docket number 24-04875-D.
Wright’s application omitted several items required by the Uniform Rules of Louisiana Courts of Appeal: the memorandum supporting the motion for a new trial, his memorandum opposing that motion, the notice of intent, and the return-date order. The appellate court also required the trial transcript, the judgment, and notice of the judgment.
The Court’s Holding
The court declined to consider the writ application because the missing materials violated Uniform Rules of Louisiana Courts of Appeal Rule 4-5(C)(8), (9), and (11). It further stated that it would not consider supplementation of the application or an application for rehearing under Rules 2-18.7 and 4-9.
The court permitted Wright to file a new, compliant writ application containing all pertinent documentation, satisfying Rule 2-12.2, and including a copy of the court’s ruling. Any new application must be filed by August 27, 2026. Judge Miller stated that he would have denied the writ.
Key Takeaways
- A supervisory-writ application must include all supporting memoranda, notices, orders, transcripts, judgments, and other materials required for appellate review.
- The court will not permit a deficient writ application to be cured through supplementation or rehearing.
- Wright may submit a new, fully compliant application by August 27, 2026, with a copy of this ruling attached.
Why It Matters
The ruling underscores that compliance with Louisiana’s appellate filing rules is a threshold requirement for supervisory review. Even without reaching the merits, the court may refuse to consider an application whose record is incomplete.
Practitioners must assemble the complete supporting record before filing because later supplementation may be unavailable, leaving a new application—subject to a court-imposed deadline—as the only possible route to review.