The Louisiana General Statutes were revised in 1870. After that, they had grown into a confusing, unorganized, and sometimes contradictory mass of statutes and enactments. It was a monster without a master, since no mechanism then existed to subdue and control the beast.
A movement began at L.S.U. in 1933 "to establish an institute dedicated to law revision, law reform and legal research. Due to economic reasons that project was postponed until April, 1938, when the Board of Supervisors authorized its revival, under its present name. The Legislature, later in the year, chartered, created and organized it as "an official, advisory law revision commission, law reform agency and legal research agency of the State of Louisiana.""*
The Institute spent years drafting a projet of the revised statutes which they would then submit to the legislature for adoption at a special session.
Not only did the Institute revise and organize the general statutes, but it also provided a logical format for continued updating, so that the statutes would not again grow into a chaotic mess.
Projet of the Louisiana Revised statutes of 1950 / prepared and submitted to the Louisiana Legislature by the Louisiana State Law Institute KFL 27 1949 stacks
Reviser's summary of the projet of the revised statutes of Louisiana KFL 27 1949 Notes Stacks
ACT No. 165
AN ACT To provide for the publication of a compiled edition of the Civil Codes of the State of Louisiana, containing the texts of the Civil Code of 1870, the Civil Code of 1825, the Civil Code of 1808 and the corresponding articles or provisions of the Code Napoleon and authorizing the distribution of the series of state publication known as Louisiana Legal Archives.
ACT No. 166.
AN ACT Designating the Louisiana State Law Institute, domiciled at the Louisiana State University Law School, as an official advisory law revision commission and legal research agency for the State of Louisiana; fixing the membership of the governing body of said Institute; defining its duties, powers and privileges; directing and authorizing it to submit advisory reports with recommendations to the Legislature; and authorizing the printing of its recommended publications with the approval of the Governor and the State Printing Board.
