HB279

Louisiana HB279 changes the monetary threshold for misdemeanors requiring a jury trial from $1,000 to $2,500.

Louisiana HB279 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to modify the monetary threshold for misdemeanors that require a jury trial. Currently, a defendant charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment for more than six months must be tried by a jury of six jurors. The proposed law raises this threshold to a fine exceeding $2,500. The change applies both prospectively and retroactively to all cases pending on the effective date of the law.