Background
Randy Anthony Brown sought supervisory review in the Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit, arising from his criminal case in the 16th Judicial District Court for St. Mary Parish.
Brown had filed a request for a copy of his guilty-plea transcript on February 25, 2026. He asked the appellate court to intervene regarding the district court’s handling of that request.
The Court’s Holding
The First Circuit granted Brown’s writ application and ordered the district court to act on his request for the guilty-plea transcript if it had not already done so.
The court also directed the district court to provide the First Circuit with the minutes from an August 19, 2026 hearing showing what action was taken to satisfy Brown’s request. The order did not decide whether Brown was substantively entitled to the transcript or prescribe a particular disposition beyond requiring action and documentation.
Key Takeaways
- A supervisory writ may be used to prompt a district court to address a pending filing.
- The district court must act on Brown’s transcript request if it has not already done so.
- The district court must provide hearing minutes documenting the action taken in response to the request.
Why It Matters
The ruling underscores that trial courts must address pending requests and create a record showing how they were resolved. For practitioners, it also illustrates the narrow relief an appellate court may grant when the immediate issue is lower-court inaction rather than the merits of the underlying request.