HB 52: CRIMINAL/PROCEDURE: Provides relative to trial of misdemeanors (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF EX) - Louisiana

HB52 Original → HB52 Act · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the rules for trying misdemeanor cases in Louisiana, specifically changing the threshold for requiring a jury trial and clarifying how prosecutors can designate certain offenses for bench trials. It also updates the effective date of the law to apply retroactively to June 8, 2025, and includes standard provisions for what happens if the Governor vetoes the bill.

Scope change

The bill modifies the scope of jury trials for misdemeanors by raising the fine threshold from $1,000 to $1,200 and increasing the imprisonment threshold from six months to more than six months for cases that must be tried by a jury.

ELIGIBILITY

Raised the fine threshold for mandatory jury trials from $1,000 to $1,200 and the imprisonment threshold from six months to more than six months.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified that for jury trials, all six jurors must agree to reach a verdict, correcting a grammatical error in the original text.

TIMELINE

Added a specific retroactive effective date of June 8, 2025, for the new provisions.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'HB 52 Original' to 'ENROLLED' and updated the Act number to 192 to reflect its final passage.

HB52 Enrolled → HB52 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill restructures how misdemeanors are tried by clarifying that jury trials are only required for offenses with fines over $1,000 or imprisonment over six months unless the prosecutor elects to designate them as 'non-jury trial misdemeanors.' This change introduces a new administrative option for prosecutors to bypass jury trials for certain offenses, provided they do not involve hard labor, and caps the maximum penalty for these designated cases at $1,000 and six months in a local jail.

Scope change

The scope of mandatory jury trials was narrowed to specific high-penalty offenses, while creating a new category of 'non-jury trial misdemeanors' that prosecutors can voluntarily select for expedited court processing.

ELIGIBILITY

Prosecutors can now elect to designate certain misdemeanors as 'non-jury trial misdemeanors' if the penalty does not necessarily involve hard labor.

REQUIREMENT

Jury trials are now strictly limited to misdemeanors not designated as non-jury cases where the potential fine exceeds $1,000 or imprisonment exceeds six months.

A new cap was established for designated non-jury misdemeanors, limiting fines to $1,000 and imprisonment to six months served in a parish prison or municipal jail.

DEFINITION

The definition of offenses requiring a jury was refined to explicitly exclude those designated by the prosecuting authority as non-jury trial misdemeanors.

HB52 Reengrossed → HB52 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized for signature by removing the House and Senate committee summaries, which previously explained the bill's intent to raise the jury trial threshold from $1,000 to $2,500 and to increase penalties for non-jury cases. The core legal text remains unchanged, retaining the substantive policy of allowing more misdemeanor cases to be tried by a jury and increasing the maximum fine for those tried without a jury.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text of the law governing misdemeanor trials is identical to the previous version.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Digest' section containing the House Legislative Services summary and abstract that explained the bill's purpose.

Removed the 'Summary of Amendments Adopted by House' section that listed specific changes made during the legislative process.

Removed the signatures and titles of the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and Governor, as these are only included on the final enrolled version.

HB52 Engrossed → HB52 Reengrossed · 2 edits · May 5, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to remove a provision that would have allowed prosecutors to designate certain misdemeanors as non-jury trials. This change ensures that the bill only amends the existing rule regarding the monetary threshold for jury trials, without altering the authority to waive jury trials for specific offenses.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing a new category of offenses eligible for non-jury trials.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the authority for prosecuting authorities to elect to designate certain misdemeanors as non-jury trial offenses.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title and section references to reflect the removal of the new non-jury trial designation provision.

CRIMINAL/PROCEDURE: Provides relative to trial of misdemeanors (EN SEE FISC NOTE LF EX)

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