If you are a victim-survivor or family member who wants to look up the status of a criminal court case in Orleans Parish, scroll through the slides for a how-to guide or Click Here!

www.opso.us and click on DOCKET MASTER in the top menu. Or you can use your short link tinyurl.com/DocketMaster. The website is very slow, but if you wait, the page will eventually load. Do not click multiple times.

This is for Orleans Parish only. You can: Find out if court is open or closed, find out what court building rules are, see what the criminal charges are and what court section (judge) your case is in, read what happened and/or what was decided in an earlier hearing or court date, find out when the next court date is scheduled.

for the person who has been arrested for the crime (the defendant). You must fill out: at least 2 letters of last name and first name. Filling out more information will make it easier to narrow down the records. You must type the letters/numbers in the grey box near “Verification” into the white blank next to “Verification”. This is for website security and to prove you are a human being. Click SEARCH button - only click once, and it may take a while to load the next page. Just try to be patient!

And this is where it gets a bit more confusing. You will see a screen with the Defendant's name at the top of the page, and a list under "Charge Detail Information". This list includes: Arrest Date, Arrest Number, Item Number, Folder, MagNo/Sec, CaseNo/Sec. MagNo/Sec is the Magistrate Court, and the "M" at the end of the number indicates the section. For instance, "M1" is Magistrate Court, Section 1. CaseNo/Sec is the Criminal Court, and the letter at the end of the number indicates the court section. "A" is Criminal Court Section A.

This may differ if you're looking for an older case and there are more recent charges, so it may take a few tries.

After you click on one of these links, be patient, it takes a while to load the record.

There may be a number of cases listed, because it goes by the person's name (defendant), so these may not all be cases related to you as a victim-survivor. It helps to narrow down by looking at Arrest Date and if you know the Court Section, that can also help.

You can click on the links under the columns MagNo/Sec and CaseNo/Sec. If I know I am looking for a criminal case in which I am a victim-witness, I will click on items in the CaseNo/Sec column. I usually start with the most recent Arrest Date. A page should load with the court record for the link you clicked.

At the top, it will have the defendant's name and the charges listed. This will allow you to confirm whether this is the case record you are looking for.

The record begins with the oldest date, usually the indictment, first.

I usually scroll to the bottom, which is typically most recent.

You can then read the most recent thing that has happened in court, and any court dates that are set.

If you feel confused, you're not alone...it is quite confusing, but you'll get the hang of it! See the next slide for more information on terminology and how the court system works.

Visit our website to better understand the Criminal Legal Process. We have a section ORDER OF COURT PROCEEDINGS BEFORE TRIAL and a clickable CRIMINAL LEGAL FLOWCHART as well as a GLOSSARY with terms.

Visit our website to better understand the Criminal Legal Process. We have a section ORDER OF COURT PROCEEDINGS BEFORE TRIAL and a clickable CRIMINAL LEGAL FLOWCHART as well as a GLOSSARY with terms.

You can ALWAYS contact your Victim-Witness advocate at the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office for updates on your case and court information. Call (504) 822-2414 or email victimwitness@orleansda.com or visit their website by Clicking Here!