In civil proceedings, the records of the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information as defined in R.S.15:577 shall be privileged and shall not be subject to discovery by third parties. The term "records" as used in this Article shall include but not be limited to"rap sheets", fingerprint records, or any other record created by or maintained by the bureau.
Art. 1422.1.Scope of Discovery; Records of the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title III. Production of Evidence · Chapter 3. Discovery · Enacted 2003 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1422.1 shields records kept by the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information -- rap sheets, fingerprint records, and similar files the bureau creates or maintains -- from discovery by third parties in civil proceedings.
Full Text of Art. 1422.1
Amendment History
Acts 2003, No. 1199, §1.
Plain-English Summary
The Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information keeps the state's central criminal history records. Article 1422.1 carves those records out of the general scope of discovery in Article 1422: in a civil proceeding, they're privileged and can't be obtained by a third party through discovery, no matter how relevant they might otherwise seem.
The term "records" is defined broadly and non-exclusively -- it includes rap sheets and fingerprint records by name, plus any other record the bureau creates or keeps. The privilege runs against third parties seeking the record in someone else's civil case, the situation that comes up most often in litigation, such as a personal-injury case where a party tries to dig up an opposing witness's criminal history.
By naming civil proceedings specifically, the article confines itself to that setting. It doesn't purport to govern access to these records through other channels the law separately provides, such as a public-records request or a statute directed at criminal proceedings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I subpoena someone's criminal history record in a Louisiana civil lawsuit?
No. Article 1422.1 makes Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information records privileged against discovery by third parties in civil proceedings.
What kinds of records does this privilege cover?
Rap sheets, fingerprint records, and any other record the bureau, defined in R.S. 15:577, creates or maintains -- the list in the article is illustrative, not exhaustive.
Does this privilege apply outside of civil proceedings?
The article speaks only to civil proceedings; it doesn't address access to these records in a criminal case or through some other legal channel.
How does this article relate to the general scope of discovery in Article 1422?
It's a specific carve-out. Article 1422 sets a broad relevance standard, and Article 1422.1 removes one particular category of records from that broad reach regardless of how relevant they might be.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: criminal record discovery louisianarap sheet discovery in civil casebureau of criminal identification privilegecan you subpoena a criminal record in louisianaR.S. 15:577 discovery privilege