A. The unpublished opinions of the supreme court and the courts of appeal shall be posted by such courts on the Internet websites of such courts. B. Opinions posted as required in this Article may be cited as authority and, if cited, shall be cited by use of the case name and number assigned by the posting court.
Art. 2168.Posting of Unpublished Opinions; Citation
Book III. Proceedings in Appellate Courts · Title I. Appellate Procedure · Chapter 3. Procedure In Appellate Court · Enacted 2006 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 2168 requires the Louisiana Supreme Court and courts of appeal to post their unpublished opinions on their own websites and allows any posted unpublished opinion to be cited as authority, identified by the case name and the number the posting court assigned it.
Full Text of Art. 2168
Amendment History
Acts 2006, No. 644, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Appellate courts decide far more cases than they select for full publication in the official reporters. Before Article 2168, an unpublished opinion existed, but a litigant or lawyer trying to track down its reasoning could face real difficulty locating a copy, and older practice restricted whether such opinions could be cited at all.
Article 2168 addresses both problems directly. It requires the supreme court and every court of appeal to post their unpublished opinions on their own websites, so anyone can find the actual text of an opinion the court chose not to publish in the traditional reporters.
Having made those opinions accessible, the article also makes them usable: an unpublished opinion posted under this article may be cited as authority. The citation has to use the case name together with the number the posting court assigned to the case, giving readers and other courts a reliable way to locate the specific opinion being relied on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cite an unpublished Louisiana appellate opinion in a brief?
Yes, if it was posted under Article 2168; cite it by the case name and the number the posting court assigned.
Where can I find unpublished opinions of Louisiana courts of appeal?
On the posting court's own website, since Article 2168 requires the supreme court and every court of appeal to post their unpublished opinions there.
How do I properly cite an unpublished opinion under Article 2168?
By the case name and the number assigned by the court that posted it.
Does Article 2168 apply to both the supreme court and the courts of appeal?
Yes. Both are required to post their unpublished opinions online under this article.
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: citing unpublished Louisiana opinionsArticle 2168 Louisianaunpublished opinions posted online Louisiana courtshow to cite an unpublished court of appeal opinionLouisiana appellate court website opinions