---
title: "Darrel James Papillion | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/darrel-james-papillion"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Darrel James Papillion

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana · Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- State: Louisiana
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- American lawyer and judge serving as a United States district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana since June 1, 2023
- court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana · role: Judge · start date: 2023-06-01 · notes: Nominated by Joseph R. Biden on March 21, 2023 to seat vacated by Carl J. Barbier
- Special prosecutor, East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2020-2023
- Special prosecutor — East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office · start year: 2020 · end year: 2023
- Partner — Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens, LLC, Baton Rouge · start year: 2009 · end year: 2023
- 1999–2023: Partner at Walters, Papillion, Thomas, Cullens, LLC (now Moore, Walters, Thompson, Thomas, Papillion & Cullens)
- Partner — Moore, Walters, Thompson, Thomas, Papillion & Cullens, A.P.L.C. · start year: 2001 · end year: 2009
- Associate — Moore, Walters & Thompson, A.P.L.C., Baton Rouge · start year: 1999 · end year: 2001
- Adjunct Professor — LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center · start year: 2000
- Law clerk — Hon. Catherine D. Kimball, Louisiana Supreme Court · start year: 1994 · end year: 1995
- 1994–1995: Law clerk to Associate Justice Catherine D. Kimball, Louisiana Supreme Court

### Education

- Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center — Law — J.D. (1994)
- Louisiana State University and A&M College — B.A. (1990)

### Additional information

- Confirmed May 30, 2023
- Commission issued June 1, 2023
- Mediator, Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2013-2023
- Mediator — Perry Dampf Dispute Solutions, Baton Rouge · start year: 2013 · end year: 2023
- Private practice, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1999-2023
- Private practice, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1995-1999
- Associate — McGlinchey Stafford A.P.L.C., New Orleans · start year: 1995 · end year: 1999
- J.D. — Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU (1994)
- Papillion was born in 1968 in Eunice, Louisiana, and grew up in rural St. Landry Parish.
- focusing on personal injury, wrongful death, and sexual abuse litigation
- Papillion co-counsel in Johnson v.
- Section P
- He is fluent in both English and French

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### civil remote testimony

Scope: courtwide

In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.

Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.

[Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### criminal recording and broadcasting

Scope: courtwide

Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.

Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.

[Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13675556)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13675556)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13675556)
- [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure)
- [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts)
- [Judge Darrel James Papillion](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13675556)
- [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/darrel-james-papillion)
- [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://law.lsu.edu/news/2016/06/21/lsu-law-alum-darrel-papillion-installed-as-president-of-the-louisiana-state-bar-association/)
- [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrel_J._Papillion)
- [Judge Darrel James Papillion](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13675556)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 91 | 3 | Not available | 3 |
| 2y | 221 | 29 | 2.1 | 29 |
| 5y | 663 | 373 | 9.9 | 373 |
| 10y | 663 | 373 | 9.9 | 373 |

Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.
- [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.