I § 1 General Filing Requirements

A. The requirements set forth below apply to all filings submitted to the Supreme Court of Louisiana. Attorneys and self-represented litigants shall also consult the specific filing-type requirements contained in the subsequent Supreme Court of Louisiana Rules. The Clerk of Court shall not accept any filing that is not in compliance with all applicable Rules. An applicant whose filing is rejected shall have seven (7) days from the date of rejection to submit a compliant pleading or document, accompanied by the filing fee prescribed in Rule II. A compliant refiled document shall retain the date and time of the original filing.

B. Pursuant to La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 253(B)(2) & (3) and La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 14.1(B), all filings filed by an attorney licensed in the State of Louisiana and in good standing with the Supreme Court of Louisiana shall only be filed in person in paper form or transmitted electronically. Filings by all other litigants may only be mailed or hand-delivered. No filings shall be submitted by facsimile transmission or email.

C. All filings submitted in paper form shall be filed in original and duplicate with the Clerk of Court and must be accompanied by the appropriate filing fee as set forth in Rule II. To the extent practicable, the original and duplicate filings shall be prepared on white, legal-size paper. With the exception of matters that are customarily indented, margins of at least ¾ inch, but no more than 1 ¼ inches, shall be maintained on the left, right and bottom of all pages. Margins of at least 1 ½ inches, but no more than 2 inches, shall be maintained at the top of each page. Filings shall be bound in at least one place along the top margin (metal fasteners or staples are preferred). No part of the text shall be obscured by the binding. The text shall be double-spaced. No less than 12-point typeface, but no more than 14-point typeface, shall be used. The pages in the filing shall be consecutively numbered, except that exhibits and attachments may be indexed and tabbed on the right side of the page.

D. All filings shall state on the front cover or the first page the following:

1. the words, SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA;

2. the docket number of the case in this Court, once assigned by the Clerk of Court;

3. the title of the case as it appears on the docket of this Court;

4. the name or title of the court and the name of the parish from which the case originated, a statement whether the filing is an appeal or in response to a writ, and the name of the lower court judge who rendered the adverse ruling (for example: "Appeal from the Thirty-Fifth Judicial District Court, Parish of Grant, John Smith, District Judge", or "Writ of Review to the Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, Parish of Grant"); and

5. a statement showing on whose behalf the filing is submitted, and whether as plaintiff, defendant, intervenor, amicus curiae, or otherwise, and whether as appellant, appellee, applicant, petitioner, relator or respondent, and whether the filing is original or supplemental, and whether in support of or in opposition to a writ, motion, rehearing, or otherwise, or on the merits. In all criminal matters, the inmate’s Louisiana Department of Corrections identification number shall be listed on the cover page of the filing.

E. Neither the Clerk of Court’s Office nor its electronic filing portal provides formal service or notice to any party in any case. Accordingly, it is the filer’s obligation to transmit, mail or deliver a copy of the filing to all counsel and all unrepresented parties. When filing a writ application in accordance with Rule X, the filer shall also transmit, mail or deliver a copy of the writ application to the lower court judge. In any case involving a ruling of a court of appeal, a copy of the writ application to this Court shall be simultaneously filed with the clerk of that court of appeal, which copy need only include the memorandum directed to this Court.

F. All filings shall be signed by the applicant or the applicant's attorney of record, who shall verify the allegations of the application and certify that a copy of the application has been transmitted, mailed or delivered to all other counsel and unrepresented parties. The names, physical addresses, email addresses, and cellular numbers of all counsel and unrepresented parties involved in the proceeding, in addition to the names of any party each counsel represents, shall be listed in the verification or in an attachment thereto.

G. If more than one attorney represents a party, one attorney shall be designated in the first pleading filed on behalf of that party as "Lead Counsel." This attorney may designate other enrolled counsel to sign pleadings. All notices and communications shall be directed to Lead Counsel. The designation of “Lead Counsel” may be changed at any time by ex parte motion.

H. Exhibits containing digital media shall be submitted on two (2) flash drives, constituting an original and duplicate, and conform to the electronic filing requirements located in Section 2 of this Rule. Flash drives shall be filed in durable, clearly labeled envelopes. The media files uploaded to the flash drive must be clearly titled to reflect the content of the submission. The contents of the flash drive shall be indexed within the related filing or in a separate index simultaneously submitted with the flash drive.