Background
Samuel Lee Hamilton, Jr. applied for supervisory writs concerning his request for a copy of the transcript of his May 7, 2018 Boykin proceeding in the Twenty-First Judicial District Court for Tangipahoa Parish.
On December 30, 2025, the First Circuit had ordered the district court to act on Hamilton’s request. The appellate record did not show that the transcript had been filed with the Tangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court, and Hamilton represented that he still had not received it.
The Court’s Holding
The First Circuit granted the writ and ordered the district court to provide Hamilton with the May 7, 2018 Boykin transcript by July 31, 2026.
The court also required a minute entry showing that the transcript was filed in the record and forwarded to Hamilton to be filed with the First Circuit by August 7, 2026. If the transcript was not produced by the July 31 deadline, the district court was ordered to submit a per curiam by August 7 explaining the seven-month delay.
Key Takeaways
- A district court must comply with an appellate order directing action on a litigant’s request for a transcript.
- The First Circuit imposed specific deadlines for producing the transcript and documenting compliance.
- Failure to produce the transcript by the deadline would require the district court to explain the delay in a per curiam filing.
Why It Matters
The ruling shows that Louisiana’s appellate courts may use supervisory authority to enforce compliance with prior orders concerning access to court records. It also illustrates the court’s use of concrete deadlines and mandatory reporting to address an extended delay in providing a requested transcript.