Patricia Douglas
Hearing Officer
Patricia Douglas is the Judicial Hearing Officer for the Twenty-third Judicial District Court. Previously she also served as Judicial Administrator. She is a 1984 graduate of Louisiana State University and a 1991 graduate of the Paul M. Hebert Law School at LSU.
Prior to becoming the Judicial Administrator/Hearing Officer, Mrs. Douglas maintained a private law practice in Ascension Parish for 18 years. In addition to private practice, Mrs. Douglas also worked as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Board of Ethics and as a law clerk for the Honorable Guy Holdridge, formerly of the 23rd Judicial District. She also taught for three years before entering the field of law.
On January 1, 2015, Mrs. Douglas was appointed Hearing Officer and Judicial Administrator by the judges of the Twenty-third Judicial District. In April, 2023 the positions were separated and Mrs. Douglas remained as Hearing Officer. Mrs. Douglas hears all IV-D non-support matters and all protective orders in Ascension, Assumption and St. James Parishes. In addition, she hears all state paternity matters and maintains a Pro Se divorce docket in Ascension Parish. She also conducts Hearing Officer Conferences for domestic cases in Ascension Parish.
Mrs. Douglas is a member of the Louisiana Hearing Officers’ Association, the Louisiana Child Support Enforcement Association, the National Association for Court Management, the Louisiana Bar Association, the 23rd Judicial District Bar Association, and she served on the Board of Directors of Volunteer Ascension and Capital Area Legal Services. She is an adjunct faculty member at River Parishes Community College, and she and her husband, Tommy Douglas, have two children, Emily and Jack.