A justice of the peace court may exercise jurisdiction over the person to the same extent, and in the same manner, as a district court.
Art. 4915.Jurisdiction Over the Person; Justice of the Peace Courts
Book VIII. Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction · Title II. Procedure In Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction · Chapter 2. Civil Jurisdiction For Justice of the Peace Courts · Enacted 1986 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 4915 gives a justice of the peace court the same authority to exercise jurisdiction over the person, and to exercise it in the same manner, as a district court, despite the more limited subject-matter jurisdiction these courts otherwise carry.
Full Text of Art. 4915
Amendment History
Acts 1986, No. 156, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Personal jurisdiction is a court's power over the specific defendant standing before it, distinct from subject-matter jurisdiction, which is a court's power over the type of case being brought. Article 4913 narrows what kinds of cases a justice of the peace court may hear, and Article 4911 caps how much money can be at stake, but neither article touches personal jurisdiction.
Article 4915 fills that gap by borrowing from district court practice: a justice of the peace court may exercise jurisdiction over the person to the same extent, and in the same manner, as a district court would. A defendant properly before a justice of the peace court on personal jurisdiction grounds gets no argument that a smaller court somehow reaches less far over the parties.
In practice, this means the same due-process and long-arm principles that govern whether a Louisiana district court can bind a defendant apply without modification in justice of the peace court, even though the case itself will almost always be small and the forum informal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a justice of the peace court have less power over defendants than a district court?
No. Article 4915 gives a justice of the peace court the same personal jurisdiction authority, exercised the same way, as a district court.
What is the difference between personal jurisdiction and subject-matter jurisdiction?
Personal jurisdiction is a court's authority over the particular defendant; subject-matter jurisdiction is its authority over the type of case. Articles 4911 and 4913 limit the latter for justice of the peace courts, while Article 4915 leaves the former unchanged from district court practice.
Do the same rules for reaching an out-of-state defendant apply in justice of the peace court?
Yes. Because Article 4915 equates a justice of the peace court's personal jurisdiction authority with a district court's, the same principles govern in either forum.
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: personal jurisdiction justice of the peace courtArticle 4915 Louisianajurisdiction over the person justice of the peacejustice of the peace court defendant jurisdiction