What common law principle does not apply in Louisiana?

Louisiana operates under a civil law system, which is distinct from the common law system utilized by most of the United States. In civil law jurisdictions like Louisiana, the primary source of law is statutes rather than judicial precedents. Therefore, the principle of precedent-based common law, where past judicial decisions guide future cases, does not apply in Louisiana in the same way it does in common law states.

In Louisiana, courts refer to the relevant codes and statutes when making decisions, and while judicial interpretation of those codes can influence future cases, it is not binding in the same way that precedents are in common law states. This highlights a fundamental difference in how legal interpretations and rulings are approached, emphasizing the absence of a strict reliance on past court decisions as a binding source of law. This difference underscores how legal traditions influence practice within jurisdictions, particularly in Louisiana compared to its common law counterparts.