Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A parish is a specific area that is served by a church. It can also refer to a district in Louisiana that has its own government and is similar to a county. This term comes from Louisiana's history as a Roman Catholic territory under Spanish and French rule. The state legislature has the power to create, change, or dissolve parishes as needed.
An area served by a particular church or an ecclesiastical district is called a parish. In Louisiana, a parish is also a government sub-unit, which is equivalent to a county. It governs a portion of the state, and some of the state's power is delegated to the parish.
The examples illustrate that a parish can refer to both a religious and a governmental entity. In the first example, St. Mary's Parish is a religious district served by a Catholic church. In the second example, Jefferson Parish is a government sub-unit that administers the governance of a portion of the state.