IV § 2 Appellant or Applicant Brief Contents

When you file a brief with the Louisiana Supreme Court as the person appealing a case (or asking the court to take up your case), your brief has to follow a specific order. This rule lays out four parts that must appear, one after another.

First, you need a list of all the laws, cases, and other legal sources you cite in your brief, along with page numbers so the court can find them easily. Second, you give a short, clear summary of what happened in the case, just the facts the court needs to understand the situation.

Third, you spell out exactly what you think the lower court got wrong. Be specific about each error you're claiming. Finally, you make your argument, but you have to stick to the actual issues in the case. You can't wander off into unrelated points or bring up things that don't matter to the questions the court is deciding.