Title I. Courts · Chapter 3. Recusal of Judges · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 153 lets a judge recuse without waiting for a party's motion, lets a district judge recuse from election-contest cases within the judge's own district, and requires a self-recusing judge to file a written order and reasons before the case is reassigned.
Full Text of Art. 153
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A. A judge may recuse himself in any cause in which a ground for recusal exists, whether or not a motion for his recusal has been filed by a party.
B. A district judge may recuse himself in any cause objecting to the candidacy or contesting the election for any office in which the district or jurisdiction of such office lies wholly within the judicial district of the court on which the district judge serves.
C. Prior to the cause being allotted to another judge, a judge who recuses himself for any reason shall contemporaneously file in the record the order of recusal and written reasons that provide the factual basis for recusal under Article151. The judge shall also provide a copy of the recusal and the written reasons therefor to the judicial administrator of the supreme court.
Amendment History
Renumbered and amended by Acts 2021, No. 143, §1, eff. 8/1/2021. Renumbered from La. C.P. §152 by Acts 2021, No. 143, §1, eff. 8/1/2021. Acts 1985, No. 967, §1; Acts 2001, No. 932, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Recusal doesn't have to wait for a party to raise it. Article 153 lets a judge step aside on the judge's own initiative whenever a ground for recusal under Article 151 exists, regardless of whether any party has filed a motion. Paragraph B adds a specific application: a district judge can recuse from a case objecting to or contesting an election for an office located within the judge's own judicial district.
When a judge does recuse voluntarily, Paragraph C requires the judge to act before handing the case off. The judge must file, in the record and at the same time as the recusal order, written reasons giving the factual basis for the recusal under Article 151, and must send a copy of both the order and the reasons to the judicial administrator of the supreme court. That paper trail, added in 2021, keeps voluntary recusals accountable and documented rather than informal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a judge recuse from a case without a party asking for it?
Yes. Article 153 lets a judge recuse on the judge's own motion whenever a ground for recusal under Article 151 exists.
What does a judge have to do when recusing voluntarily?
The judge must file a written order of recusal along with written reasons giving the factual basis under Article 151, before the case is reassigned to another judge, and send a copy to the judicial administrator of the supreme court.
Can a district judge hear a case contesting an election in the judge's own district?
Article 153 lets the judge recuse from such a case, recognizing the conflict inherent in a sitting judge deciding a contest over an office within the judge's own district or jurisdiction.
Why does the judicial administrator get a copy of the recusal order?
The requirement creates a record at the supreme court level of voluntary recusals and the reasons behind them, adding accountability beyond what happens inside the trial court's own file.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
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