A. Before testifying, every witness shall be required to declare that he will testify truthfully, by oath or affirmation administered in a form calculated to awaken his conscience and impress his mind with his duty to do so. B. A witness who appears but refuses to testify without proper cause shall be considered in contempt of court.
Art. 1633.Oath Or Affirmation of Witnesses; Refusal to Testify
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title V. Trial · Chapter 4. Trial Procedure · Last amended 1989 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1633 requires every witness to take an oath or affirmation to testify truthfully before testifying, and treats a witness who appears but refuses to testify without proper cause as being in contempt of court.
Full Text of Art. 1633
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 1988, No. 515, §2, eff. 1/1/1989.
Plain-English Summary
Before any witness testifies, Article 1633 requires an oath or affirmation, administered in a form calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress upon the witness the duty to testify truthfully. The article cares about the substance of that commitment rather than a fixed script, so both traditional oaths and secular affirmations satisfy it.
Refusing to testify carries a real consequence. A witness who appears in court but refuses to testify without proper cause is considered in contempt of court, giving the oath requirement teeth against a witness who shows up and then stonewalls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every witness in a Louisiana civil trial have to be sworn in?
Yes. An oath or affirmation to testify truthfully is required before any witness testifies.
What happens if a witness appears in court but will not answer questions?
The witness can be held in contempt of court, unless there is proper cause for the refusal.
Does the oath have to follow a specific religious form?
No. Article 1633 requires only a form calculated to awaken the witness's conscience and impress the duty to testify truthfully, which covers affirmations as well as oaths.
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
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