I recently had the privilege and honor of spending three glorious days, well into the evening, at…read morethis court house serving jury duty. Before Monday, I had been called for jury duty (JD) one other time and we were dismissed due to lack of cases. I was not so lucky this time. Some basics: when you get your summons, you will have a number that you are assigned. This will be your number throughout the process, so don't forget it. Check the JP website the night before to see if you have to report. Parking: the parking garage is convenient and easy and your parking will be validated, so park there for easy access. I suggest getting there a little early to avoid the line going in, especially on busier days. Once you get there you will check in and then you just sit and wait for your name to be called. If you're lucky, you'll be called fast or dismissed. I was called immediately and I headed upstairs. The first trial I was a going to be a possible juror for was a criminal trial. After about two hours of group questioning, I was dismissed and sent back downstairs to wait to be called again. The jury I was actually picked for was a civil trial that lasted two solid days. Lucky me. More on that in a minute. On the day I was waiting to find out if I was going to be chosen, we were given 15 minutes to get something at the snack bar, eat it and get back to the jury pool room. Apparently, it was a busy day at the JP courthouse. The snack bar has a few sandwiches and other snacks, but if you can bring your own food, that will be even better. The actual serving of jury duty was okay. My judge was super cool and gave us lots of breaks, brought in breakfast and lunch and our jury "lounge" was packed with candy, coffee, soft drinks, water, chips, fruit, cookies and other goodies. The bailiffs really did the best they could to make the experience as comfortable as possible for us and constantly checked in to make sure that we had everything that we needed. There's WiFi in the jury room and you can have your phone as long as you aren't in the courtroom or deliberating on a verdict (this might have been just because I had a civil case, though. I'm not sure how criminal cases work with internet access). If you get picked, expect some long days. I didn't get out until after 7 on all three days that I was there. The worst part of the entire experience was the constant sitting around and not really moving. It does get boring after a while, especially when you are waiting for lawyers and other involved people to show up, so bring a book or other form of entertainment and bring a sweater because the courtroom gets really cold and bring your own snacks if you have dietary issues. When all is said and done you'll get a fancy certificate thanking you for your service, so feel free so show that to the jerk who you said you would never make anything of your life.

Very Ghetto. Would not recommend. Cafe pastries are stale. The wifi sucks. Judges always arrive…read morelate. Seems like it's an social party with the amount of talking and lack of work the clerks do. The AC is great tho and lounge area comfortable. Great place to hide. They wont find you right under their nose.

I didn't visit this spot because I had an appeal to file. I walked by and noticed the beautiful…read morearchitecture. It was simply lovely. I wish it wasn't the weekend or I would have gone inside.

Go in on the Poydras Street entrance. Metal detectors with lots of US Marshals, so be smart…read more That's a choke point, so if you are there for a big trial, get there early. Otherwise, a tiny starbucks in the lobby by the Gents, nice courtrooms, plenty of benches. OK for a US Courthouse.

Gretna is a great little city on the westbank. The city has low crime, friendly residents and great…read moreplaces to eat. Gretna is not without its issues. The city does employ several mobile speed enforcement cameras throughout the city. Gretna hosts the Gretna Heritage Festival each October which is a top notch festival. The festival offers great food, games and national music acts. If you haven't been, its about time you take a trip to Gretna. If your looking for a great place to live, I also encourage you to check out Gretna.

What can I say about Gretna that I won't feel like puts me on the radar…read more... First of all, Greta is three square miles. Do not speed in even one of those square miles. You are being watched either by an officer, or one of the scores of speed and red-light cams in the city. The tickets for speeding run you about 140 a pop. It is one of the very few incorporated cities in Jefferson Parish. It is essentially a suburb of New Orleans, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. Gretna has a long history of police and government corruption. It's quite the read...... They are known for their police academy, and their voracious desire to enforce the law. There are all kinds of really cool old buildings in Gretna; there is even an old train station. There are even a few really good restaurants, and they sell fireworks here at the various holidays. They are legal in Gretna; buy not elsewhere in Jefferson Parish. It is also the home of the Gretna Heritage Festival, a festival started in 1994 that often has really big name musicians playing. If you feel like tossing the dice, take a speedy ride through Gretna, then watch your mailbox for a surprise speeding ticket!

i got married at this courthouse in 2002 it was great. its a memory i will never forget as long as…read morei live. beautiful place.

Super cute way to get married on the fly. Grab yourself a marriage certificate (72 hours prior)…read moreand get married. Please note you must reside in Orleans parish to get married here. I recently found myself here as the matron of honor, florist, stylist, witness & wedding coordinator. I was pleased with the setting in this historical location and it had some great places to capture photos. Just four of us, the bride & groom and my young son, who was the flower boy, usher, witness, gave the bride away and was best man were in attendance. Our judge was lovely as the officiant of such momentous event .....and then we went back to New Orleans for our celebratory lunch. Easy peasy and now Miss is Mrs. Meow now! Wow!

Thankfully I've mostly been in criminal court as a juror so that's the experience I'll talk about…read more (Mostly because I did have to attend a murder trial for a journalism class in college.) The jury room is in the basement and jurors are told to wear their juror badges visibly at all times. You may bring your cellphone to the jury pool room but don't let it ring if you're in a courtroom! My understanding is that if you're picked for a trial, cell phones are held by a member of the court staff until you're done for the day. The jury room is pretty boring but it's clean and their are bathrooms in the back corner. There are also vending machines but I usually brought my own snacks/beverage. There are magazines but they're not especially current and one TV was usually on... so I could catch up on the Price is Right. There is also a quiet room across the hall but it's too quiet for me. I found the staff very cordial and professional. They explained the process clearly and gave out certificates each day for those who need proof for their workplace. At the end of service (4 scheduled days... still way better than the 8 that it was last time I was called), you get a certificate proving service that lets you out of jury duty (both criminal and civil) for 2 years. Most days we were out by lunch. UNLESS you were called into voir dire for a possible trial. One batch of folks were at the courthouse until 8pm. So be prepared for that possibility. Finally photos are not allowed. You might accidentally take a photo of a juror or witness or someone and then put them at risk if the trial is a capital trial. Civic duty done!

Have you recently been accused of a felony?…read more Are you performing your civic duty as a juror? Are you a witness in a city where witnesses are afraid to come forward? Are you a lawyer? Are you the victim of a crime? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will likely find yourself here. While none of the aforementioned reasons are fun reasons to be here, the building does have redeeming qualities. From the outside, the building is beautiful. Many may disagree, but I've always found that this building has a strong presence on Tulane Avenue. Inside is equally impressive if you can get past the heat and sea of humanity. Speaking of the sea of humanity, be prepared to wait when you arrive. Everyone has to pass through magnetometers and be checked for weapons. Once through that process, finding your courtroom sometimes proves difficult. Apparently the judges get to pick courtrooms based on seniority so there is no rhyme or reason to the lettering system. It seems that should be fixed, but I guess it never will be. I do recommend taking the stairs if your section is on the upper floor. The elevators are awfully slow, plus the spiral stairs have character. If you're a witness use caution who is around you. I can imagine a criminal's associate would just love pushing you down the stairs. As for whether justice is served here, I will leave that for others to argue. I've been here many times and seen what I thought were serious miscarriages of justice, but who am I to make that determination? As for those who toil here day in and day out, I have the utmost respect for you. Dealing with criminals, reluctant witnesses, shoddy police work and arrogant judges must be difficult. If you don't have to, I don't recommend coming here. If you do, I hope you write a review.

Walked in, through the metal detectors, past the deputies, to the window and nobody was in line! I…read morehad a court date within 5 minutes of entering the building. It actually took me longer to walk from my parking spot around the corner than to handle my biz inside the courthouse. The lady at the window was extremely nice and the deputies at the entrance were cool. I just hope the judge and prosecutor are the same when I meet them. I'll post again after my court date for 2 moving violtions. I haven't been issued so much as a parking ticket in well over 10 years so we shall see.

They see me rollin, they hatin…read more That's right ladies and gentlemen, I was caught riding dirty. Not really, but it does make for a great entrance to a review about traffic court. Traffic court is a place you do not want to find yourself. If you do, you've likely been issued a traffic citation, municipal summons, arrested for DWI or some municipal offense. Since many of you seem to be the type to be traffic scofflaws, I will attempt to share my vast knowledge in an attempt to help you. 1. If you get a parking ticket, don't come here. They can't help you. 2. Don't park in the spots out front. You'll be towed or at least leered at strongly. 3. Unjustly accused? Plead not guilty and get a court date. Will you win? That depends, but it's worth a shot. 4. Guilty as sin? Talk with the city attorney and hope they are amenable to a deal. 5. Municipal court? You shouldn't have gotten into a fight, smoked weed or peed in public. Come on dude. Really? I hope this review helps you next time you find yourself here. Note: one star because it's traffic court. No one likes traffic court.

How can one of the best cities in the world have one the poorest excuses for a City Hall? I know,…read moreI know... "it's New Orleans". I should probably leave it at that. From the first time I stepped through the doors over ten years ago, to my experience today, I'm always amazed at how trashy and poorly run this facility is. Usually I'm dealing with residential parking passes, which was the case again today. I purposely waited until 1pm on a Tuesday afternoon assuming that would increase the likelihood of getting in and out quickly. The girl at the front security check point told me that the parking pass department was in an office on the main floor (IW23), so I headed there to find three lovely women who offered to help, but since I was in the voter registration office, there's nothing they could do. They sent me upstairs to where the office used to be before Covid closed it and then temporarily put it just inside the front door near the security screening. I was happy to see that it had returned to its rightful home. I was also happy to see no one in line and a clerk behind the plexiglass. I told her that I needed to replace my parking pass. She told me that she couldn't handle my request, but would try to find someone who could. She was back in 30 seconds with bad news. No one is available, and the only person who can do it is on vacation. She gave me a phone number, which I called and got a voicemail stating that she'd return on December 28th. Guess I'll head back in on the 28th, circle the block until I find a parking spot, pay to park, and try it again. I'll ask Santa for no parking tickets between now and then!

Review update:…read more Sooooo this time go round I visited the 7th floor permits department & 365 days can make a difference. They've moved their office across the hall & have installed a program called "ONE STOP", it seems to be effective. There are comfortable chairs for waiting, decor is modern, plasma screens adorn the walls & there you can see your position in "que". On these plasma screens, they not only provide your place in line/que, but they also provide office hours & other pertinent information including the login name & password to access the guest internet. Sooooo yeah they're still at one star because this is ONLY 1 of mannnnnnny departments. Btw, this time I was in & out in under 2 hours, no pillow or blanket needed.

Finally got their new counter clerk. This guy is amazingly helpful. He is not rushing you…read more Helping you understand the system of mailing. Besides their lead counter clerk these are the 2 knowledgeable, experienced people. Perfect fit to work to the frontline to give their customer service expertise. Their goal is for us to leave the facility accomplished with our mailing tasks. High five !

I have an appointment to get a new passport and I can never get ANYONE on the phone. Ridiculous.read more

This beautiful building is a must-see. Both inside and out is stunning. Rich history, elaborate…read moreceiling details, & gorgeous stained glass, & right in Jackson Square. Self-guided tours are available 9am-4pm, excluding mass - so be mindful/respectful of that. Benches out front provide seating to rest & take in the view It sits beside the Cabildo as well, also a historical landmark, with many iconic restaurants nearby.

Such an amazing holy place to visit It is breathtaking and…read moreto walk around knowing how old it is and the history behind it - plus be able to attend a service there Amazing is not a good enough word