The clerk of a district court may render and sign default judgments or judgments by confession in cases where the jurisdiction of the court is concurrent with that of justices of the peace, as provided in Article5011.
Art. 284.Judicial Powers of District Court Clerk
Title I. Courts · Chapter 5. Clerks · Last amended 2022 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 284 gives a district court clerk genuine judicial power in a narrow category of small cases, letting the clerk render and sign default judgments and judgments by confession where the district court's jurisdiction is concurrent with a justice of the peace.
Full Text of Art. 284
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 2021, No. 174, §1, eff. 1/1/2022. Amended by Acts 2017, No. 419, §1, eff. 8/1/2017. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 46, §2, eff. 1/1/1980.
Plain-English Summary
Everything in Articles 282 and 283 is administrative — a clerk formalizing acts that don't need a judge's judgment. Article 284 is different: it hands the clerk judicial power, in one narrow slice of cases.
Where a district court's jurisdiction is concurrent with a justice of the peace under Article 5011 — small, low-dollar civil matters — the clerk may render and sign two kinds of judgment: a default judgment, entered because the defendant never answered, and a judgment by confession, entered because the defendant admitted the claim. Neither requires weighing contested evidence or arguments; the outcome is already settled by the defendant's own action or inaction.
Outside that narrow lane, deciding a case still belongs to a judge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a clerk of court enter judgment in a case?
In a narrow category, yes — default judgments and judgments by confession, where the district court's jurisdiction is concurrent with a justice of the peace under Article 5011.
What is a judgment by confession?
A judgment entered because the defendant admits or concedes the claim, rather than because the case was tried and decided.
Does this mean clerks decide contested lawsuits?
No. This power reaches only undefended default judgments and conceded confession judgments in a limited jurisdictional category — contested cases still go to a judge.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the vLex (Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure, 2026 Edition). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: clerk render default judgment Louisianajudgment by confession clerk of courtclerk judicial power district courtconcurrent jurisdiction justice of the peace