Appeal is the exercise of the right of a party to have a judgment of a trial court revised, modified, set aside, or reversed by an appellate court.
Art. 2082.Definition of Appeal
Book III. Proceedings in Appellate Courts · Title I. Appellate Procedure · Chapter 1. General Dispositions · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 2082 defines an appeal under Louisiana law as a party's exercise of the right to have an appellate court revise, modify, set aside, or reverse a trial court's judgment, distinguishing that remedy from other forms of appellate review.
Full Text of Art. 2082
Plain-English Summary
Article 2082 supplies the working definition that the rest of Book III builds on. An appeal is the exercise of a party's right to have a trial court's judgment revised, modified, set aside, or reversed by an appellate court. Each of those four outcomes describes a different degree of change: a revision or modification adjusts part of the judgment while leaving the rest intact, setting aside vacates the judgment outright, and reversing flips the result entirely.
Calling an appeal the "exercise" of a right matters. The right exists for a party to invoke, but nothing about a trial court judgment triggers appellate review on its own. A party has to take the affirmative procedural steps described later in this Title, such as obtaining an order of appeal under Article 2121, within the applicable delay, to put that right into motion.
Article 2082 says nothing about which judgments can be appealed or how quickly a party has to act; those questions belong to Articles 2083 and 2087. Its job is narrower: fixing what the word "appeal" means everywhere else the Code uses it, so that later articles addressing appealable judgments, deadlines, and procedure all build on the same foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the legal definition of an appeal in Louisiana?
Article 2082 defines it as the exercise of a party's right to have a trial court's judgment revised, modified, set aside, or reversed by an appellate court.
What can an appellate court do with a trial court judgment under this definition?
Revise or modify it in part, set it aside entirely, or reverse it outright. Article 2082 lists these as the possible outcomes of an appeal.
Does an appeal happen automatically once a judgment is rendered?
No. Article 2082 calls it the exercise of a right, meaning a party must take affirmative steps, such as obtaining an order of appeal, to invoke appellate review.
Does Article 2082 say which judgments can be appealed?
No. That question is addressed separately in Article 2083. Article 2082 only defines what an appeal is, not when one is available.
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: definition of appeal LouisianaArticle 2082 Louisianawhat is an appeal in Louisiana lawrevise modify set aside reverse a judgmentright to appeal Louisiana civil procedure