A. Except as otherwise provided by law, every final judgment shall contain the typewritten or printed name of the judge and be signed by the judge. Any judgment that does not contain the typewritten or printed name of the judge shall not be invalidated for that reason. Judgments may be signed by the judge by use of electronic signature. B. For the purpose of an appeal as provided in Article 2083, no appeal shall be taken from a final judgment until the judgment has been signed by the judge.
Art. 1911.Final Judgment; Signing; Appeals
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title VI. Judgments · Chapter 3. Rendition · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1911 requires every final judgment to be signed by the judge and to show the judge's typed or printed name, allows the judge to sign electronically, and bars any appeal from a final judgment until that signature is on the record.
Full Text of Art. 1911
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2025, No. 250, §3, eff. 8/1/2025. Amended by Acts 2023, No. 272, §1, eff. 8/1/2023. Amended by Acts 2014, No. 606, §1, eff. 8/1/2014. Amended by Acts 2014, No. 144, §1, eff. 8/1/2014. Amended by Acts 1974, No. 87, §1; Acts 1979, No. 618, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1263, §1, eff. 1/1/2000.
Plain-English Summary
A Louisiana judgment does not become the kind of document you can appeal the moment a judge announces a ruling from the bench. Article 1911 requires a final judgment to carry the judge's typed or printed name and the judge's signature, though a judgment that leaves out the printed name still stands. The judge may sign with an electronic signature, so a courthouse absence or a remote hearing does not hold up the paperwork.
Paragraph B ties that signature to the right to appeal. No appeal can be taken from a final judgment until the judge has signed it. An oral ruling, a minute entry, or a judge's comments at the end of a hearing are not enough on their own; the case has to wait for a signed document before an appeal can move forward.
This chapter is titled Rendition because it deals with how a judgment comes into legal existence and starts producing effects. For a final judgment, signing is that moment. It is also the event that sets Article 1913's notice requirements in motion, and, once notice goes out, the countdown toward the deadline for filing an appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a judge's oral ruling from the bench count as a final judgment I can appeal?
No. Article 1911 requires the judge to sign a written judgment, and no appeal can be taken from a final judgment until that signature is on the record, whatever the judge said in open court.
What happens if the judge's judgment does not have the judge's name typed or printed on it?
Nothing that affects the judgment's validity. Article 1911 says a judgment missing the judge's typed or printed name is not invalidated for that reason, as long as the judge's signature is there.
Can a Louisiana judge sign a judgment electronically?
Yes. Article 1911 lets the judge use an electronic signature to sign a judgment, the same as a traditional handwritten one.
If signing is required before I can appeal, when does my deadline to appeal start running?
Signing under Article 1911 is a precondition, not the deadline itself. The deadline for filing an appeal generally runs from the notice of judgment described in Article 1913, which follows the signing.
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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