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December 2020
We updated the links to the Paternity & Child Support Division of the Virgin Islands in three questions on our U.S. Virgin Islands Child Support page.
In our Minnesota Places that Help section, we added the Minnesota Lawyer Referral and Information Service to our Lawyer Referral Services page, added Tubman to our Local Programs page, and added Legal Assistance of Dakota to our Legal Assistance page.
We updated the resources on our Minnesota Lawyer Referral Service page.
We updated three questions in our Michigan Restraining Orders section in English and Spanish because of a change in the law that allows a judge to rule on an ex parte Personal Protection Order petition within one business day rather than within 24 hours. You can see the updates in What is a domestic relationship PPO and what types are there?, What kinds of non-domestic stalking personal protection orders are there? How long do they last?, and What kinds of non-domestic sexual assault personal protection orders are there? How long do they last?
Based on 2020 additions to the law, we added information to Can I get alimony? regarding the obligation to prove a material change of circumstances to exercise one’s right to file for reserved support in the Virginia Divorce section. We added information about filing for expenses related to pregnancy and childbirth to How much child support will I get? in our Virginia Child Support section. In our Virginia Custody section, we added “child abuse” and “an act of violence, force, or threat” as additional factors considered by a judge to Can a parent who committed violence get custody? and How will a judge make a decision about custody? We also added a “clinical social worker” as one of the professionals who can suggest that the abusive parent not have access to the child’s records in Can a parent who does not have custody have access to the child’s records?Changes all made in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish the newly added information about abusers using sexting to harass victims in our “What are some ways an abuser could use sexting?”
We translated into Spanish the updated questions in our Maryland Restraining Orders section.
We translated into Spanish our recent update on the If the judge orders the abuser’s guns to be taken away in my order of protection, how will they be taken away? question in our New York State Gun Laws section.
In our Virginia State Gun Laws section, based on changes to the law, we revised If the abuser has been convicted of a crime, can s/he keep or buy a gun? and I do not have a protective order against the abuser and s/he has not been convicted of a crime. Can s/he own a gun? in English. Spanish soon to come.
Based on changes to the law, we added information about the 24-hour period to surrender firearms to If the abuser’s gun is taken away, what will happen to it? in our Virginia State Gun Laws section in English and Spanish.
We added a link to the Colorado Crime Victim Compensation program to our Colorado Crimes page in English and Spanish.
On our Rhode Island Places that Help page, we added 2 new Statewide Programs and 2 new Local Programs in English and Spanish.
On our Rhode Island Places that Help page, we updated 25 resources as follows: 8 Statewide Programs, 8 Local Programs, 4 Legal Assistance, 1 Lawyer Referral Service, and 4 Courthouse Locations. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
Because of a change in the law that no longer allows a judge to suspend driving privileges or professional licenses for unpaid child support, we updated the What if I have a support order and the other parent is not paying child support? question in our Oklahoma Child Support section. Changes were made in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish our Indiana Suing an Abuser page.
We translated into Spanish the Indiana State vs. Federal Law section.
We translated into Spanish our recently added Title IX National Organizations page.
We added a new question to our Maryland Peace Orders page called “Can I file for a peace order against a minor?” in English. Spanish translation coming soon.
We translated into Spanish our recently added question called What steps do I have to take if I want to relocate? in our Colorado Custody page.
We translated into Spanish the Indiana Divorce section.
November 2020
Based on changes in the law, we updated 29 questions in our Utah Restraining Orders section and one question in our Utah Divorce section! Including changing the length of some protective orderd from ten years to three years. All changes in English.
We updated 4 programs on our Minnesota Statewide Programs page.
We translated into Spanish our newly created section called Snapshot of State Courts During Covid-19 in our Preparing for Court - By Yourself section!
On our New Hampshire Download Court Forms page, we added links to forms for a domestic violence protective order, a parenting petition for custody, petition for divorce or joint petition for divorce, as well as many other forms on the New Hampshire Courts website. In addition, we re-wrote the question How do I withdraw or extend my protective order? in our New Hampshire Protective Orders (due to domestic abuse) section to add links to a request for withdrawal, a request for an extension, and an objection to the extension of the order. We also added these three links to How long does a stalking protective order last? Can it later be extended or withdrawn? in our Stalking Protective Orders section.
We added information about abusers using sexting to harass victims to our “What are some ways an abuser could use sexting?” question in English. Spanish translation coming soon.
On our Idaho Places that Help page, we updated 101 resources as follows: 5 Statewide Programs, 40 Local Programs, 10 Legal Assistance, 2 Lawyer Referral Service, and 44 Courthouse Locations.
We added four statutes related to Rhode Island Sexual Assault Protective Orders to our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.
We added seven questions to a Rhode Island Sexual Assault Protective Orders page.
In our Virginia State Gun Laws section, we made the following changes in English and Spanish to I do not have a protective order against the abuser and s/he has not been convicted of a crime. Can s/he own a gun?:
- removed “habitual drunkenness” as a ground for disqualification to carry a concealed firearm;
- added the following less typical types of protective orders as grounds for not being able to possess a firearm or get a concealed carry permit:
- substantial risk order;
- a protective order issued as part of a divorce; and
- a protective order issued due to abuse/neglect of a child.
We also added the newly-created substantial risk order to the list of orders that disqualify someone from possessing a firearm in I have a protective order against the abuser. Can s/he keep a gun or buy a new gun? and I am a victim of domestic violence and the abuser has a gun. Is that legal? Additions made in English and Spanish.
We updated four questions in our Maryland Restraining Orders section, in English, based on changes in the law. Spanish coming soon!
Based on a 2020 addition to Virginia law, we added information to What happens if the abuser violates the order? about in which counties a violation can be prosecuted. Changes made in English and Spanish.
Based on a change in the law, we updated the If the judge orders the abuser’s guns to be taken away in my order of protection, how will they be taken away? question in our New York State Gun Laws section, in English. Spanish coming soon!
We translated into Spanish our Indiana Crimes page.
We added 1 new resource to our Vermont Local Programs page, the Women’s Freedom Center in Windsor County, in English and Spanish.
On our Vermont Places that Help page, we updated 44 resources as follows: 3 Statewide Programs, 15 Local Programs, 9 Legal Assistance, 3 Lawyer Referral Service, and 14 Courthouse Locations. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
In our Ohio Custody page, we updated links to outside information in English and Spanish in Where can I find more information about custody in Ohio?
We added ten statutes on high-risk protection orders to our Selected Nevada Statutes page.
We added eight questions to a Nevada High-Risk Protection Orders page in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
We updated the contact information for three resources on our Pennsylvania Lawyer Referral Services page in English and Spanish.
October 2020
We added four housing law statutes to our South Dakota Selected State Statutes page.
Based on a 2020 change to the law, we updated our Nebraska Suing an Abuser page to reflect that $3,900 is the new limit in small claims court. Previously the limit was $3,600.
Based on a new law in South Dakota, we added a South Dakota Housing Laws section, in English, that discusses housing protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the state.
In our Georgia Custody section, we updated the links in English and Spanish to additional information in Where can I find more information about custody in Georgia?
On our Connecticut Crimes page, we updated the link for information on Victim Compensation in Spanish and English.
In Minnesota, we added one statute defining domestic violence advocate and sexual assault advocate to the Selected Minnesota Statutes page.
We added new information to our Minnesota Housing Laws page. It includes 7 questions about the law that allows victims of domestic abuse, criminal sexual conduct, and harassment to end a lease early without penalty.
Based on a 2020 addition to Arizona law, we added information to What protections can I get in an order of protection? about the victim’s duty to notify the court if s/he moves out of the home after the abuser is excluded. Changes made in English and Spanish.
On our Indiana Crimes page, we updated the link to the Victim Compensation Division.
Based on a 2020 addition to the law, we updated How are firearms removed from a dangerous individual under this law? For how long are they removed? in our Indiana Firearms Seizure and Retention Law section.
We added a statute related to drug testing in custody cases to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.
We added the question When can a judge order that a parent be drug tested? to our Indiana Custody page.
We translated into Spanish our Indiana Court Forms page.
On our U.S. Virgin Islands Places that Help page, we added 3 new resources as follows: 1 Legal Assistance and 2 Courthouse Locations. All additions were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
On our U.S. Virgin Islands Places that Help page, we updated 5 resources as follows: 3 Local Programs, 1 Legal Assistance, and 1 Lawyer Referral Services. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
We translated into Spanish our Indiana Custody section.
We translated into Spanish the 4 new questions about nonconsensual image sharing in our Abuse Using Technology page.
We updated our Arizona Download Court Forms page in English and Spanish to link to the court website’s tool that helps petitioners fill out the order of protection form by answering a series of questions.
We created a new section called Snapshot of State Courts During Covid-19 in our Preparing for Court - By Yourself section! This page was created in English; Spanish soon to come.
We translated into Spanish our new Protection from Housing Discrimination page in our California Housing page.
We translated into Spanish the question called What factors will a judge consider when deciding if I can get alimony? in the New Jersey Divorce page.
We translated into Spanish our Motion for Reconsideration page in our Preparing for Court section.
We translated into Spanish a question in our Washington Custody section called How will a judge decide if I can relocate with my child?
We translated into Spanish our newly added question entitled Can the judge order that I provide health care coverage? in our Massachusetts Child Support section.
We translated into Spanish the two new questions on our Texas Housing Laws page.
We updated the links in our Puerto Rico Download Court Forms page in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish our newly created section At the Hearing, within the Preparing for Court - By Yourself page.
Based on changes in the law, we updated the Can a parent who committed violence get custody or visitation? question in our Tennessee Custody section, in English.
We translated into Spanish our New Jersey Extreme Risk Protective Orders page.
September 2020
On our Alabama Places that Help page, we updated 84 resources as follows: 1 Statewide Program, 19 Local Programs, and 64 Courthouse Locations. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
On our Alabama Places that Help page, we added 18 new resources as follows: 1 Statewide Program, 12 Local Programs, and 5 Courthouse Locations. All additions were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
We translated into Spanish our newly updated questions in our New York Housing Laws section.
We translated into Spanish the recently updated the information on our general Restraining Orders page.
We translated into Spanish our question called Can my pet be included in a military protective order (MPO)? in our section about Domestic Violence in the Military.
We translated into Spanish our new question called What are the legal definitions of domestic, sexual, and gender violence? to our Illinois Workplace Protections page.
We translated into Spanish our recently re-written Florida Download Court Forms page.
We translated into Spanish five additional protections that can be included in a final order to our What protections can I get in an injunction for protection against stalking? question in our Florida Injunctions for Protection Against Stalking/Cyberstalking section.
We translated into Spanish the question What is the definition of “elderly” and “dependent adult” for the purposes of getting this restraining order? in our California Restraining Orders to Prevent Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse section.
We translated into Spanish our question about police officers removing firearms at the scene of a family offense in our New York State Gun Laws section.
We translated into Spanish the recently added program SHALVA to our Illinois Local Programs page.
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a statute on automatic restraining orders in divorce cases to our Selected Tennessee Statutes page.
We translated into Spanish four updated questions in our New Mexico State Gun Laws section.
We translated into Spanish our Colorado Extreme Risk Protection Orders page.
We translated into Spanish our newly created a question When is a parenting coordinator appointed and what is his/her role? in our North Carolina Custody page, .
We translated into Spanish our newly created a Nevada Workplace Protections section.
We translated into Spanish the questions When can a grandparent or great-grandparent petition for visitation? and What does a grandparent or great-grandparent have to prove to get visitation? in our Arkansas Custody page.
We added a new Virtual Hearings page to our Frequently Asked Questions Involving Courts and COVID-19 section in English and Spanish.
August 2020
We added a new question to our Colorado Custody page in English called What steps do I have to take if I want to relocate? (Spanish coming soon.)
We updated the link to sheriffs on our Alaska Sheriff Departments page and we translated the page into Spanish.
On our Wisconsin Places that Help page, we added 36 new resources as follows: 2 Statewide Programs, 33 Local Programs, and 1 Legal Assistance. All additions were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
On our Wisconsin Places that Help page, we updated 123 resources as follows: 2 Statewide Programs, 54 Local Programs, 15 Legal Assistance, 1 Lawyer Referral Service, and 73 Courthouse Locations. We also updated the link to sheriffs on our Wisconsin Sheriff Departments page. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added a statute on interception of communications to our Selected Ohio Statutes page.
We added the crime of interception of communications to our Ohio Crimes page in English and Spanish.
We added the program SHALVA to our Illinois Local Programs page in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
We added a question called Can my pet be included in a military protective order (MPO)? in our section about Domestic Violence in the Military. The new question is in English, but Spanish is coming soon!
We added 4 new questions in English about nonconsensual image sharing to our Abuse Using Technology page. Spanish coming soon!
We re-organized and revised our West Virginia State Gun Laws section to make it easier to read. In addition to adding a new sub-section called The Abuser is Not Supposed to Have a Gun…Now What?, we also removed the majority of the federal gun laws information so that the section focuses on West Virginia state laws.
We added two statutes to our West Virginia Selected State Statutes section.
We created three new questions on our Indiana Custody page in English:
- Are parents required to tell each other their address and phone number?
- What happens to a parent’s visitation rights when s/he is deployed?
- What steps do I have to take if I want to relocate?
Spanish coming soon!
We added three statutes related to relocation to our Selected Indiana Statutes page.
We added two divorce-related statutes to our Selected Nevada Statutes page.
We added information to What are the residency requirements for divorce in Nevada? to clarify that a person could file if both parties lived in Nevada and the cause of action for the divorce happened in Nevada. Changes were made in English and Spanish.
We added the crimes of first degree sexual assault, second degree sexual assault, and third degree sexual assault to our Rhode Island Crimes page.
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added three sexual assault crimes to our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.
We added a Title IX National Organizations page and six new organizations in English. Spanish translation coming soon.
We translated into Spanish all of our restraining orders information for Indiana, including Orders for Protection (due to domestic violence, harassment, stalking, or a sex offense), Workplace Violence Restraining Orders, Moving to Another State with an Indiana Order of Protection and Enforcing an Out-of-State Order in Indiana.
We added eight questions to a Rhode Island Extreme Risk Protective Orders page.
We added seven statutes on extreme risk protection orders to our Selected Rhode Island Statutes page.
Based on changes to the law in that took effect 8/1/20, we added information to Who is eligible for a harassment restraining order? and Can a minor get a harassment restraining order? regarding the fact that a victim’s guardian or conservator can file for an HRO on the victim’s behalf, including for minor victims.
We added five statutes (criminal sexual conduct in the first through fifth degrees) to our Selected Minnesota Statutes page.
We added five crimes (criminal sexual conduct in the first through fifth degrees) to our Minnesota Crimes page. In addition, in our Minnesota Housing Laws page, we hyperlinked to the definitions of those crimes to better explain which crime victims could qualify to terminate their lease early.
We added the crime of financial exploitation of an elderly person, incapacitated person, or incapacitated adult to our West Virginia Crimes page. We also changed the name of “stalking; harassment” to “harassment” based upon a June 2020 change in the law.
July 2020
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added the crime of computer trespass to our Selected New York Statutes page.
We added the crime of computer trespass in English and Spanish to our New York Crimes page.
We updated the three resources on our Arizona Lawyer Referral Service page in English and Spanish.
We added a statute related to financial exploitation of an elderly person, protected person, or incapacitated adult to our Selected West Virginia Statutes page.
In our West Virginia Financial Exploitation Protective Orders section, we added information about filing a petition to freeze assets to What protections can I get through a financial exploitation protective order? and What types of financial exploitation protective orders are there? How long do they last? We added information about the penalties for violating an order issued based on a petition to freeze assets to What happens if the respondent violates the order?
We updated the information on our general Restraining Orders page to further explain violations and the difference between civil and criminal contempt. Changes in English, Spanish coming soon!
We added the crimes of intimidation of witnesses and intimidation of victims to our Wisconsin Crimes page.
We added two statutes to our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page related to intimidation of victims and of witnesses.
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry about filing an affidavit of paternity, we added four statutes to our Selected Washington Statutes page.
In our Kentucky Divorce section, we added a link to information about legal separation in the question Where can I find additional information about divorce laws in Kentucky?
Based on changes in the law, we updated four questions in our New York Housing Laws section. Changes were made in English, Spanish coming soon!
Based on legislative changes that take effect in July 2020, we added information to If my child was conceived from sexual assault, can the offender get custody or visitation? to include the fact that a mother who is under age 18 cannot waive child support or ask for visitation on her own.
We translated into Spanish 14 new crimes to our Arizona Crimes page.
We added five statutes related to sexual crimes to our Selected Illinois Statutes page.
We updated 7 questions in our Illinois Workplace Protections page to include gender violence as an additional protected class based upon a 2020 legislative addition. All changes were made in English and Spanish.
We added a new section to our California Housing page called Protection from Housing Discrimination. It includes 6 new questions about the law that protects victims of abuse from discrimination by a landlord. Spanish translation coming soon!
We translated into Spanish various questions on our Preparing for Court- By Yourself page, including questions under the sections: Court System Basics; Starting the Court Case; and, After a Decision is Issued.
June 2020
On our Alaska Places that Help page, we added 9 new resources as follows: 1 Statewide Program, 4 Local Programs, 3 Legal Assistance, and 1 Courthouse Location. All updates were added in English and, for the first time, translated into Spanish!
On our Alaska Places that Help page, we updated 79 resources as follows: 7 Statewide Programs, 25 Local Programs, 11 Legal Assistance, 1 Lawyer Referral Service, and 35 Courthouse Locations. All updates were made in English and, for the first time, all resources were translated into Spanish!
We added a new question in English to our Illinois Workplace Protections page called What are the legal definitions of domestic, sexual, and gender violence? Spanish soon to come.
We added five new crimes related to sexual violence to the Illinois Crimes page in English and Spanish.
We updated the contact information for 13 programs on our West Virginia Advocates and Shelters page.
We added 42 new programs to our West Virginia Advocates and Shelters page.
We re-wrote our Florida Download Court Forms page and added a link to court forms for injunctions for protection against domestic violence, dating violence, repeat violence, and stalking. Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come.
In our Florida Injunctions for Protection Against Stalking/Cyberstalking section, we added five additional protections that can be included in a final order to What protections can I get in an injunction for protection against stalking? Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come.
In our California Restraining Orders to Prevent Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse section, we linked to the definition of an elderly person and a dependent adult in What is a restraining order to prevent elder or dependent adult abuse? Changes were made in English and Spanish.
We added a new question in English to our California Restraining Orders to Prevent Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse section called What is the definition of “elderly” and “dependent adult” for the purposes of getting this restraining order? Spanish soon to come.
We added the crime of harassment to our Oregon Crimes page in English and Spanish.
We added the crime of violation of custody to the Nebraska Crimes page.
In Nebraska, we added one statute on violation of custody to the Selected Nebraska Statutes page.
We added the crime of interference with custody to the Kansas Crimes page.
In Delaware, we added one statute on stalking to the Selected Delaware Statutes page.
We added the crime of stalking to our Delaware Crimes page.
We added the crime of violation of custody order to our Colorado Crimes page in English and Spanish.
We added the crime of stalking to our Colorado Crimes page in English and Spanish.
We updated one resource in English and Spanish on our Nevada Lawyer Referral Services page.
May 2020
In our Hawaii Custody page, we added information about how disability can be considered when deciding custody to How will a judge make a decision about custody and visitation?
We added a new statute to our Selected Hawaii Statutes page related to disability as a factor in custody decisions.
Based on 2020 statutory changes, we updated 4 questions in our Hawaii State Gun Laws section.
