IV § 1 Brief Filing Requirements

When you file a brief with the Louisiana Supreme Court, you have to follow some basic formatting rules and page limits. First, your brief needs to meet the general formatting standards already set out in Rule I, Section 1. Beyond that, how long your brief can be depends on what type of case you have.

For civil cases, your brief cannot be longer than 25 pages. For criminal cases, you get more room, up to 35 pages. If it's a criminal case where the death penalty is on the table, you can write up to 85 pages, since these cases often involve more complex issues that need more explanation.

One helpful detail: the cover page and the list of legal sources you cite (called the index of authorities) don't count toward these page limits. So you can use those pages freely without eating into your allowed space for actual arguments.