The failure of the court reporter to file the transcript with the clerk no later than five days before the return date or any extension thereof shall subject such reporter to prosecution for contempt of court. Such contempt charges may be initiated by the trial judge or by the court of appeal on the court's own motion or on the motion of any party.
Art. 2127.3.Same; Contempt
Book III. Proceedings in Appellate Courts · Title I. Appellate Procedure · Chapter 2. Procedure For Appealing · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 2127.3 exposes a court reporter to prosecution for contempt of court for failing to file the transcript with the clerk no later than five days before the return day or any extension of it, with contempt charges brought by the trial judge or by the court of appeal.
Full Text of Art. 2127.3
Amendment History
Amended by Act 1984, No. 525, §1; Acts 1997, No. 409, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Article 2127.2 sets the five-day deadline for a court reporter to deliver a necessary transcript to the trial court clerk. Article 2127.3 backs that deadline with a real penalty: a reporter who misses it does not just get flagged in the clerk's certificate process, but faces prosecution for contempt of court.
Contempt charges can be initiated by the trial judge on the judge's own motion, or by the court of appeal, either on its own motion or on the motion of any party. That last option gives a party frustrated by a slow transcript a direct way to press the issue with the appellate court, rather than waiting on the clerk's certificate alone.
Read together with Article 2127.2, this article gives Louisiana's appellate deadlines teeth. A reporter has a concrete incentive to meet the five-day cutoff, and the courts have a tool beyond granting further extensions when a transcript runs late.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a court reporter misses the transcript deadline?
The reporter can be prosecuted for contempt of court under Article 2127.3.
Who can bring contempt charges against a court reporter for a late transcript?
The trial judge, on the judge's own motion, or the court of appeal, on its own motion or on the motion of any party.
Does the contempt exposure apply if the return day has been extended?
Yes. The five-day delivery deadline runs from the return day or from any extension of it, and missing that deadline exposes the reporter to contempt either way.
Can a party ask the court to hold a reporter in contempt over a late transcript?
Yes. Article 2127.3 lets the court of appeal act on the motion of any party, not only on its own initiative or the trial judge's.
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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