Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:76

  • Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
  • 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.
  • person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10

A.  When a person born in Louisiana is adopted in a court of proper jurisdiction in any other state or territory of the United States, the state registrar may create a new record of birth in the archives upon presentation of a properly certified copy of the final decree of adoption or, if the case has been closed and the adoption decree has been sealed, upon the receipt of a certified statement from the record custodian attesting to the adoption decree.  

B.  The decree is considered properly certified when attested by the clerk of court in which it was rendered with the seal of the court annexed, if there is a court seal, together with a certificate of the presiding judge, chancellor, or magistrate to the effect that the attestation is in due form.  The certified statement is considered proper when sworn to and having the seal of the foreign state or territory’s record custodian.  

C.  Upon receipt of the certified copy of the decree, the state registrar shall make a new record in its archives, showing:

(1)  The date and place of birth of the person adopted.  

(2)  The new name of the person adopted, if the name has been changed by the decree of adoption; and

(3)  The names of the adoptive parents and any other data about them that is available and adds to the completeness of the certificate of the adopted child.  

Acts 1979, No. 776, §1; Acts 1990, No. 183, §1.