Act 124 also removed the above-noted matters from the jurisdiction of the existing First District Court. Cases pending before that Court were transferred to the Superior Criminal Court. The new court also took over as the office for the filing of election returns and voter registrations.

The Court's regular sessions were set for October through May, but was to hold special sessions at other times of the year as necessary. Its first judge was appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and held office until a permanent judge was elected. The Court also had a clerk, a deputy clerk, and two assistant clerks. The existing Criminal Sheriff of Orleans Parish served both the First District Court and the Superior Criminal Court.

The first four years of the Court's existence were during the period of Reconstruction in Louisiana. The Metropolitan Police served as the police force for the City of New Orleans during those years. These records provide important documentation of the operations of the Metropolitans, especially in light of the paucity of other records relating to the force. They should also be of value to an understanding of Reconstruction violence in New Orleans during the months leading up to the "Battle of Liberty Place" (September 14, 1874) and beyond.

Individual case records will contain some, but probably not all, of these documents:

• Indictment or affidavit--the criminal equivalent of the initial petition in a civil suit. It will set forth the specifics of the criminal conduct that caused the matter to be brought before the Court. On the reverse there will usually be recorded information on arraignment, final verdict or other disposition, and sentencing.
• Police reports
• Copy of Cornoner's inquest
• Testimony and/or statements of witnesses, the accused, and police officers
• Bonds (bail and/or appeal)
• Documents from lower courts
• Motions, exceptions, and other pleadings filed by the attorney representing the accouses and/or by the District Attorney
• Orders, jury charges, and other rulings by the judge
• Jury lists
• Witness lists
• Arrest warrants
• Subpoenas
• Appeals and related documents

Of the first one-thousand cases brought before the Superior Criminal Court the most common charges were:

• Concealed weapons--199
• Murder--68
• Embezzlement--84
• Breaking and entering--54
• Robbery--43
• Burglary--48
• Assault and battery--66
• Shooting--28
• Perjury--43
• False imprisonment--26
• Grand larceny--76

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VSZ300
1874-1880

Minute Books, 1874-1880
8 v.

Bound manuscript volumes in which the daily minutes of the court's proceedings were entered by the clerk. (The minute books are not microfilmed.)

v. 1 10/5/1874 - 2/23/1875
v. 2 7/5/1875 - 3/7/1876
v. 3 7/5/1875 - 12/28/1876
v. 4 1/10/1877 [fragment] - 10/31/1877 [fragment]
v. 5 11/21/1877 - 5/23/1878
v. 6 5/24/1878 - 1/25/1879
v. 7 1/27/1879 - 12/6/1879
v. 8 12/8/1879 - 7/30/1880

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VSZ350
1846-1880
1 v.

The general docket is arranged in numerical order by docket number. Each page is divided into rectangular sections so that one docket entry appears in each section. At the head of each entry is the docket number and the names of the plaintiff (always "State of Louisiana") and defendant(s) in the case. The charge is also noted. Beneath the heading is a dated list of the actions taken in the suit (e.g., petitions, answers, orders, documents filed, copies made, record withdrawn, judgments, etc.), along with the court costs incurred for each action.

v. 1 4/15/1874 - 7/29/1880

Back to Orleans Parish Civil and Criminal Courts

coded: 4/9/2001
coded by: we
revised: 10/16/2001 - we/cp