Metropolitan Tribunal Court of First Instance

Address: 7887 Walmsley Avenue
City: New Orleans
State: LA
Zip: 70125
Phone: 504-861-6291
Fax: 504-861-9525
Email:  [email protected]

The Metropolitan Tribunal of New Orleans adjudicates matrimonial cases, penal cases, administrative canonical matters, and other canonical matters referred to it. The Tribunal also offers canonical advice to the Archbishop and to other clergy in the Archdiocese as well as to the religious and laity in the Archdiocese. The Tribunal also represents the judicial arm of the Archbishop. It is staffed by priests, deacons, religious, and lay persons who are trained in Canon Law.

The Tribunal comprises the First Instance Court, which adjudicates cases which arise from within the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Second Instance Court, which reviews and adjudicates all matrimonial cases appealed to it from the suffragan dioceses in the State of Louisiana.

The First Instance Court is further categorized into the Episcopal Court of the Archbishop and the Ordinary Court of the Tribunal. The Archbishop judges those cases which have been remitted to him by means of the abbreviated process and the Ordinary Court of the Tribunal judges those cases which have been remitted to the ordinary contentious process.

The Metropolitan Tribunal Court of Second Instance also consists of the Episcopal Court of Appeal of the Archbishop of New Orleans and of the Ordinary Court of Second Instance. The Archbishop hears the appeal of any of those cases which any of the bishops in the Province has presided over as judge and which has been appealed to the Archbishop. The Ordinary Court of Appeal, on the other hand, hears the appeals of those cases which have been judged by judges other than a diocesan bishop in any of the suffragan dioceses and which have been appealed to the New Orleans Tribunal.