Unif. R. La. Cts. App. 4-3

The judge who has been given notice of intention as provided by Rule 4-2 shall

immediately set a reasonable return date within which the application shall be filed in the

Court of Appeal. The return date in civil cases shall not exceed 30 days from the date of

notice of the judgment, as provided in La. C.C.P. art. 1914. In criminal cases, unless the

judge orders the ruling to be reduced to writing, the return date shall not exceed 30 days

from the date of the ruling at issue. When the judge orders the ruling to be reduced to

writing in criminal cases, the return date shall not exceed 30 days from the date the ruling

is signed. In all cases, the judge shall set an explicit return date; a Court of Appeal shall

not infer a return date from the record.

Upon proper showing, the trial court or the Court of Appeal may extend the time

for filing the application upon the filing of a motion for an extension of the return date by

the applicant, filed within the original or an extended return date period. An application

not filed in the Court of Appeal within the time so fixed or extended shall not be

considered, in the absence of a showing that the delay in filing was not due to the

applicant’s fault. The application for writs shall contain documentation of the return date

and any extensions thereof; any application that does not contain this documentation may

not be considered by the Court of Appeal.