Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:985.1 – Thirty-First Judicial District; indigent transcript fund; reporter’s fees
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 13:985.1
- Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
A.(1) The court administrator or the district judge for the Thirty-First Judicial District Court shall establish an indigent transcript fund for the deposit of all monies that may be received under the provisions of this Section relative to the payment of court reporter fees for transcripts prepared for indigents or salaries, except as provided in this Subsection.
(2) All funds received and deposited therein shall be used and paid out:
(a) To compensate criminal court reporters for the preparation of all transcripts for indigent defendants, including trials, motions, hearings on writs, and all court proceedings.
(b) To compensate juvenile court reporters for the preparation of all transcripts arising from juvenile proceedings in Jefferson Davis Parish when the juvenile’s parent or legal custodian or the adult, over whom the court may exercise juvenile jurisdiction, is found to be indigent in accordance with Children’s Code Articles 320 and 321.
(c) To compensate court reporters appointed in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 13:985 for salaries or any portion thereof.
(3) If funds are available at the end of the fiscal year, the court administrator may retain two thousand dollars from the fund as compensation for administration of the fund.
B. Court reporters shall be paid two dollars and fifty cents per thirty-one-line page for such work, and twenty-five cents per page for each copy, as funds become available, all such payments to be made from the criminal indigent transcript fund by the court administrator or the district judge.
C. In all criminal cases over which the court has original, appellate, supervisory, or concurrent jurisdiction, including traffic violations, except parking, there shall be assessed as costs against every defendant who is convicted after trial or after a plea of guilty or nolo contendere or who forfeits his bond, the sum of five dollars, which shall be transmitted to the court administrator or the district judge for further disposition in accordance herewith.
D. The court administrator or the district judge shall cause to be conducted annually an audit of the fund and the books and accounts relating thereto in accordance with the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 24:513. The cost of the audit shall be paid from monies in the fund.
Acts 1999, No. 1230, §1; Acts 2008, No. 521, §1.