Art. 1635.Exceptions Unnecessary

Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title V. Trial · Chapter 4. Trial Procedure · Amendment history unavailable · Last verified July 30, 2026

In one sentenceArticle 1635 abolishes the need for formal exceptions to a court's rulings, requiring only that a party state, when the ruling is made or sought, the action it wants the court to take or its objection and the grounds for it, and it protects a party who had no chance to object at the time from later losing that right.

Full Text of Art. 1635

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Formal exceptions to rulings or orders of the court are unnecessary. For all purposes it is sufficient that a party, at the time the ruling or order of the court is made or sought, makes known to the court the action which he desires the court to take or his objection to the action of the court and his grounds therefor; and, if a party has no opportunity to object to a ruling or order at the time it is made, the absence of an objection does not thereafter prejudice him.

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Plain-English Summary

Louisiana no longer requires the old formal “exception to the ruling” once used to preserve issues for appeal. Under Article 1635, a party only has to make its position known when the court's ruling or order is made or sought, either the action the party wants the court to take or the objection and the grounds for it.

Article 1635 also protects a party who never got the chance to object. If there was no opportunity to object at the time the ruling was made, the absence of a contemporaneous objection does not later prejudice that party, keeping the preservation rule from becoming a trap when events move too fast for an immediate objection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Louisiana lawyers still need to say “exception noted” after an adverse ruling?

No. Article 1635 makes formal exceptions to a court's rulings unnecessary.

What must a party do instead to preserve an issue?

Make known to the court, when the ruling is made or sought, the action desired or the objection and its grounds.

What if there was no chance to object when the ruling was made?

The absence of a contemporaneous objection does not later prejudice that party.

Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature. Last verified July 30, 2026. · Official source

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