Act 2 of March 16, 1870 created a new civil court for Orleans Parish (in addition to the previously established First through Seventh District Courts). The new court was to have "exclusive jurisdiction in and for the parish of Orleans to issue writs of injunction, mandamus, quo warranto, and to entertain all proceedings, suits or contestations in which the right to any office, State, parish or municipal, is in any way involved." It also had the same general jurisdiction as the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh District Courts. Any of the other district courts were to immediately transfer to the Eighth District Court any pending cases falling under the exclusive jursidiction of the new court.

Act 2 of December 11, 1872 abolished the Eighth District Court (as well as the Seventh District Court) and created a new court, the Superior District Court. The Superior District Court assumed the exclusive jurisdiction of the Eighth District Court, and all cases falling within the realm of that jurisdiction were to be transferred to Superior District Court. Eighth District Court suits not transferred to the new court were transferred to the existing Fifth District Court.