What’s New on WomensLaw.org
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June 2020
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.
On our North Dakota Places that Help page, we added 7 new resources in the following sections: 5 local programs, 1 legal assistance organization, 1 courthouse location.
On our North Dakota Places that Help page, we updated 80 resources in the following sections: 2 statewide programs, 19 local programs, 6 legal assistance organizations, 1 lawyer referral program, and 52 courthouse locations.
On our Arkansas Download Court Forms page, we updated the link for orders of protection forms and added an additional link for other categories of court forms. Changes were made in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish our newly added information on the Texas Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court.
We translated into Spanish our recently added information to our New Jersey Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court.
We translated into Spanish our recently added information to our California Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court.
We translated into Spanish the recently added information about getting temporary emergency jurisdiction to Can I get temporary emergency custody as part of a custody petition? in our New York Parental Kidnapping section.
We added the National Elder Fraud Hotline to our National Organizations - Elder Abuse page in English and Spanish.
Based on changes to the law, we updated the What protections can I get in an order of protection? question in the New York Restraining Orders section. Changes were made in English and Spanish.
Based on a new addition to the law, we added a question about police officers removing firearms at the scene of a family offense to our New York State Gun Laws section, in English. Spanish coming soon!
We added a link to this Sexual Assault Fact Sheet from the Department of Defense to the Where can I find more information about sexual assault? question in the Sexual Assault/Rape section. We also added an additional link to RAINN’s website. The changes were made in English and Spanish.
We updated two resources on our New Mexico Lawyer Referral Services page in English and Spanish.
We added the crimes of intercepting and disclosing wire, electronic, or oral communications and peeping or spying into dwelling or enclosure in English and Spanish to our Virginia Crimes page.
We added two statutes to our Selected Virginia Statutes page on intercepting and disclosing wire, electronic, or oral communications and on spying into a person’s space.
In California, we added one statute on housing protections for victims who call the police to the Selected California Statutes page.
We added a new section to our California Housing page called Protection from Retaliation for Calling Law Enforcement. It includes 5 new questions about the law that protects victims of abuse from eviction for calling the police. Spanish translation coming soon!
In North Carolina, we added one statute on intercepting and disclosing wire, oral, or electronic communications to the Selected North Carolina Statutes page.
We added the crime of interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications to the North Carolina Crimes page in English and Spanish.
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added two new statutes to the Selected Nevada Statutes page.
We added two new questions to our Texas Housing Laws page regarding protections for tenants from retaliation by their landlord for calling 911. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon.
In response to an Email Hotline inquiry, we added five new crimes to our California Crimes page related to impersonation. Changes made in English and Spanish.
April 2020
We updated the contact information for 60 programs on our Tennessee Advocates and Shelters page, 11 programs on our Tennessee Finding a Lawyer page, and 95 courthouses on our Tennessee Courthouse Locations page.
We added 14 new programs to our Tennessee Local Programs page and 4 new programs to our Tennessee Legal Assistance page.
We added the crime of interference with custody to the New Jersey Crimes page in English and Spanish.
In Hawaii, we added one statute on joint custody to the Selected Hawaii Statutes page.
We created a Hawaii Custody section! It includes ten questions regarding parental rights and responsibilities, how a judge makes a decision, and more.
We created a new At the Hearing section within the Preparing for Court - By Yourself section with 16 new questions about representing yourself in court. This section provides information on how to present and object to evidence at a hearing or trial. Changes made in English; Spanish coming soon.
We added the program Women’s Protective Services of Lubbock, Inc. to our Texas Local Programs page in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
In our California Custody page, we revised If there is a final custody order in place, can I move with my children? to clarify that the notification requirements could apply to any move from the home, not just a move out of state. Changes made in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish the new updates in our Oregon State Gun Laws section.
We translated into Spanish our New York Extreme Risk Protection Orders page.
We translated into Spanish the updated question What types of sexual abuse protective orders are there? How long do they last? in our Oregon Restraining Orders section.
We translated 20 new crimes into Spanish on our Colorado Crimes page.
In Colorado, we translated into Spanish the updated definition of “unlawful sexual behavior” in What is the legal definition of sexual assault? question.
On our Louisiana Crimes page, we added a link to the Louisiana District Attorneys’ Association, which has information on victims’ rights and services.
We translated into Spanish the information about when attorney’s fees can be awarded to What protections can I get in an injunction for protection against domestic violence? in our Florida Restraining Orders section.
We translated into Spanish the additions to our Reproductive Abuse and Coercion page on our Forms of Abuse section.
We translated into Spanish the undated information on the Arizona Step 3: Service of process regarding service of the petition by law enforcement.
We translated into Spanish our recently updated question What is the legal definition of harassment? to include sexual violence and the 24 crimes associated with it as new grounds to get an Arizona Injunctions Against Harassment.
We translated into Spanish the changes incorporated in What types of protective orders are available? How long do they last? based on a September 2019 addition to Texas law.
We added two statutes to our Selected North Dakota Statutes page.
We updated two questions in our North Dakota Restraining Orders section. We also changed a question in our North Dakota Custody section from a grandparent’s custody rights question to Can a nonparent get custody or visitation? based on changes in the law.
In our Texas Protective Orders for Victims of Sexual Assault, Sexual Abuse, Indecent Assault, Stalking, or Trafficking, we added information to Who can file the petition? Can a minor file? about minors filing for an order. Changes made in English and Spanish.
We translated into Spanish the question What is the definition of indecent assault? in our Texas Protective Orders for Victims of Sexual Assault, Sexual Abuse, Indecent Assault, Stalking, or Trafficking.
We translated into Spanish the added information on our Texas Housing Laws page.
We added 7 new resources to our Wyoming Legal Assistance page
In our Wyoming Places that Help page, we updated 1 resource on the Statewide Programs page, 1 on our Lawyer Referral Services page and 2 on our Legal Assistance page.
We translated into Spanish the following information, in our Texas Custody page:
- additional people who can file for conservatorship in Other than a parent, who else can file for managing or possessory conservatorship (custody)?
- the right to apply for, renew, and keep a child’s passport in What is sole managing conservatorship (SMC)?
- additions rights of a conservator in What is conservatorship (custody)? What types are there?
We added a Motion for Reconsideration page with 3 new questions in our Preparing for Court section in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
Based on an Email Hotline inquiry, we added the crime of extortion to our Tennessee Crimes page.
We added one statute to our Selected Tennessee Statutes page.
We added 11 new resources to our Indiana Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.
In our Indiana Places that Help section, we updated the following resources in English and Spanish: 3 Statewide Programs, 35 Local Programs, 4 Legal Assistance, 2 Lawyer Referral Services and 90 Courthouse Locations.
Based on a Texas law, we added information to our Suing an Abuser page in English about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court. Spanish translation coming soon!
Based on 2020 additions to California law, we added information to What protections can I get in a restraining order to prevent elder or dependent adult abuse? about an abuser being ordered to undergo counseling or anger management. Changes made in English and Spanish.
We added two new resources, Neighbor to Neighbor and University of Tulsa Legal Clinic, to our Oklahoma Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.
We updated the contact information for both resources on our Oklahoma Lawyer Referral Services page in English and Spanish.
March 2020
Based on a New Jersey law, we added information to our Suing an Abuser page in English about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court. Spanish translation coming soon!
We added a new question to our California Custody page in English called If I report that my child was sexually abused, can that harm my case if the judge or other professionals don’t think it’s true? Spanish coming soon.
Based on 2020 changes to the law, in our California Custody section, we updated Can a parent who committed violence get custody? and How will a judge make a decision about custody? to include additional victims of abuse who can be considered. In the latter question, as well as in the question called Who can get custody?, we included that one’s immigration status, gender identity, or sex cannot be considered. All changes made in English and Spanish.
We revised the general information on Workplace Restraining Orders (Filed by Employers) in our About Abuse: In the Workplace section. Changes in English and Spanish.
In our Puerto Rico Download Court Forms page, we added a link to an alternate way to fill out a protection order petition online. Changes made in English and Spanish.
We added the crime of threatening the noncensensual dissemination of private sexual images to our Missouri Crimes page.
We added the crime of distribution of sexually explicit images (“revenge porn”) to our Kentucky Crimes page.
Based on a new Indiana law, we added information to our Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court.
We translated into Spanish the reviewed information in four questions in the Oklahoma Restraining Orders section including What are the reasons (grounds) for getting a protective order? and What types of protective orders are available? How long do they last?
In our Kentucky Finding a Lawyer page, we added five new resources to our Legal Assistance page and organized the whole page by county to make it easier to navigate.
In our Kentucky Finding a Lawyer page, we updated six resources on our Legal Assistance page and one resource on our Lawyer Referral Services page.
Based on a California law, we added information to our Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
We added a statute to our Selected Texas Statutes page regarding the ability of a victim of nonconsensual image sharing to sue in civil court for damages.
We added a statute to our Selected New Jersey Statutes page regarding the ability of a victim of nonconsensual image sharing to sue in civil court for damages.
We added a statute to our Selected Nebraska Statutes page on the remedies available to a victim of nonconsensual image sharing who sues in civil court for damages.
We added a statute to our Selected Missouri Statutes page regarding the crime of threatening nonconsensual image sharing.
We added a statute to our Selected Kentucky Statutes page regarding the crime of distribution of sexually explicit images.
We added 3 statutes to our Selected Indiana Statutes page regarding the ability of a victim of nonconsensual image sharing to sue in civil court for damages.
We added a statute to our Selected California Statutes page regarding the ability of a victim of nonconsensual image sharing to sue in civil court for damages.
We translated into Spanish our completely reviewed T Visa for Trafficking Victims page.
To address questions related to court status and the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we created a Frequently Asked Questions Involving Courts and COVID-19 page in our Preparing for Court - By Yourself section.
We translated into Spanish all the information on our Abuse in Tribal Communities page.
We translated into Spanish our updated Ohio State Gun Laws section.
We translated into Spanish the question entitled “Can an order for protection be changed or ended early?” that was added to our Orders for Protection Against Sexual Assault page, Orders for Protection Against Domestic Violence page, and Orders for Protection Against Stalking & Harassment page on our Nevada Restraining Orders section.
We translated into Spanish the revisions in our Nevada Custody question If I have a custody order from another state, can I enforce it in Nevada?
We translated into Spanish our recently added Illinois Firearms Restraining Orders page.
We translated into Spanish the four new questions about non-parent visitation in the Who can get custody and visitation section of our Illinois Custody page.
We added seven questions to a New Jersey Extreme Risk Protective Orders page in English. Spanish translation coming soon!
We translated our new section about Orders of Protection for Adults with Disabilities to our Illinois Restraining Orders page.
We translated into Spanish the information added to Step 4: Service of process about requesting alternate service if law enforcement cannot serve the abuser at his/her home. We also translated the information in What can I do if the abuser violates the order?
In our Louisiana Divorce page, we added a link to instructions and forms for pro se litigants to Where can I find additional information about divorce?
We updated the website, contact information, and descriptions for four organizations in our Arizona Legal Assistance page in English and Spanish.
We translated our updated and reorganized Domestic Violence in the Military section.
Because of changes in the law, we updated four questions in our New Mexico State Gun Laws section in English. Spanish coming soon!
Based on 2020 changes in the law, we reviewed the question Who can file for a protection order? in the Puerto Rico Protection Orders for Domestic Violence page. Changes in English and Spanish.
In our U Visa for Crime Victims page, we added information in English and Spanish about naturalization after five years to the question Can I get lawful permanent residence (a green card) if my U visa status application is approved? What about citizenship?
We translated into Spanish the newly added questions about “equitable caregivers” and the edit on the question about visitation in the Who can get custody and visitation section of our Georgia Custody page.
In our New York Parental Kidnapping section, we added information about getting temporary emergency jurisdiction when New York is not the child’s home state to Can I get temporary emergency custody as part of a custody petition? Changes made in English; Spanish soon to come.
We updated two questions in our Oregon State Gun Laws section based on changes to the law that clarify when an abuser’s gun can be taken away, and what happens to the gun if it is taken away. The changes were made in English; Spanish coming soon.
We added two Oregon criminal statutes to our Selected State Statutes page, and also added those crimes to our Oregon Crimes page.
Based on changes in the law, we updated two questions in our Oregon Restraining Orders section. We updated What types of sexual abuse protective orders are there? How long do they last? and Who can get a sexual abuse protective order? in English. Spanish coming soon.
Based on a new Nebraska law, we added information to our Suing an Abuser page about a victim of nonconsensual image sharing’s ability to sue an abuser in civil court.
We added a statute to our Selected Nebraska Statutes page regarding the ability of a victim of nonconsensual image sharing to sue in civil court for damages.
We added four statutes to our Selected Nebraska Statutes page regarding various forms of assault as well as the crime related to distribution of intimate images.
We added six new crimes to the Nebraska Crimes page involving sexual assault, assault, and distribution of intimate images.
Based on 2020 clarifications to Nebraska law, we revised Do I need a special copy of my protection order to it enforced? to add that the clerk will give petitioners two free certified copies of their ex parte or final order. This question is found in our Moving to Another State with a Nebraska Protection Order section.
In our Nebraska Domestic Violence Protection Orders section, based on 2020 changes to the law, we added information to Step 3: Service of process and Step 4: The hearing for a final protection order about the 10-business-day time period in which the respondent has to request a hearing. We also added to Step 4: The hearing for a final protection order the fact that a judge can convert the order into a harassment protection order or sexual assault protection order.
Based on changes to the law, we updated three questions in our Maine Know the Laws section, in English. We updated What protections can I get in a protection from abuse order? and Under what circumstances would I need to request that law enforcement issue a notice to stop the harassment before applying for an order? in the Restraining Orders section. We also updated How does this housing law protect me? in the Housing Laws section.
We updated the information and links for eight resources in our Maine Sheriff Departments section.
In our VAWA for Abuse Victims section, we added a new question entitled Once I have permanent residency, when can I apply for my citizenship? in English and Spanish.
On our Minnesota Statewide Programs page, we updated the name, contact information, and description for the Minnesota Coalition, which is now called Violence Free Minnesota.
We updated all four resources on our Colorado Statewide Programs page in English and Spanish.
On our California Legal Assistance page, we updated the website URLs for 20 organizations.
February 2020
We added a new question (in English) to the New Jersey Divorce page called What factors will a judge consider when deciding if I can get alimony? Spanish coming soon.
We created a new question called Can I extend my protection order? in our Nebraska Sexual Assault Protection Orders page.
Based on 2020 changes to the law regarding the penalty for a second violation of a protection order, we updated the question What if the abuser violates the order? in our Nebraska Sexual Assault Protection Orders section.
Based on changes that took effect January 2020, we updated the question called “What happens when I apply for a harassment protection order?” in our Nebraska Harassment Protection Orders section and Sexual Assault Protection Orders section. In our Domestic Violence Protection Orders section, we did the following: 1) updated Can I extend my protection order? to increase the filing period from 30 days to 45 days; 2) added information on what petitioners must include in their affidavit in Step 1: Go to court and file a petition; and 3) updated What types of protection orders are there? How long do they last? to reflect the 10-business-days period in which the abuser has to request a hearing and other changes to the law.
We added three divorce-related statutes to our Selected Louisiana Statutes page.
We added a new question called What types of injunctions related to abuse and harassment can a judge issue in a divorce case? to our Louisiana Divorce section.
In our Puerto Rico Orders of Protection for the Welfare and Protection of Children section, we added a new question in English and Spanish called What is the legal definition of child abuse in Puerto Rico?
We created a new section in our Tennessee Restraining Orders section called Orders of Protection for Elderly or Vulnerable Adults with 11 new questions.
We added 6 statutes related to elder abuse to our Selected Tennessee Statutes page.
Based on updates to the law, we completely re-wrote our New York Housing Laws page, which includes 7 questions about the protections for victims of domestic violence who need to break a lease early. Spanish translation coming soon!
On our Wyoming Download Court Forms page, we added links to court forms for protection orders, divorce, custody, child support, and small claims court.
We added the crimes of rape in the first and second degrees to our Missouri Crimes page.
In our Arkansas Custody page, we created questions called 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 English; Spanish coming soon.
In our South Carolina Custody page, we added a new question called What types of supervised visitation can the judge order?
We added six statutes to our Selected New Hampshire Statutes page related to custody.
In Nevada, we added one statute on workplace protections for victims of domestic violence to the Selected Nevada Statutes page.
We created a Nevada Workplace Protections section in English! It includes eight questions regarding employment protections for victims of domestic violence. Spanish translation coming soon.
We created a New Hampshire Custody section! It includes six questions regarding parental rights and responsibilities, how a judge makes a decision, and more.
On the Alabama Download Court Forms page, we updated links to protection from abuse order forms and added a new link to small claims court forms.
We added three statutes related to parenting coordinators to our Selected North Carolina Statutes page.
In our North Carolina Custody page, we created a question called When is a parenting coordinator appointed and what is his/her role? in English; Spanish coming soon.
On our North Carolina Download Court Forms page, we added links to the forms for 50-B, 50-C, and 50-D orders in both English and Spanish.
We added the crime of sexual extortion in English and Spanish to our Pennsylvania Crimes page.
We added the statute for the crime of sexual extortion to our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page.
In our Pennsylvania Protections from Abuse Orders page, we updated What protections can I get in a protection from abuse order? to include the 2019 changes to the law regarding the standard for when a judge can order that firearms and weapons be removed from the abuser and the protections that are mandatory in a final PFA issued after a trial. We also added information to If the abuser’s gun is taken away, what will happen to it? in our Pennsylvania State Gun Laws page about the process for getting firearms returned once a PFA order expires and regarding who qualifies as a “third party” to hold an abuser’s firearms for safekeeping. Changes made in English and Spanish.
Based on 2019 changes to Pennsylvania law, we added information in English and Spanish to Can I extend my protection from abuse order? about how being incarcerated affects extending a protection from abuse order.
In our Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse Orders section, in What is the legal definition of domestic abuse in Pennsylvania?, we linked the criminal grounds for getting an order to their respective statutory definitions on our Selected Pennsylvania Statutes page to clarify their meanings. All changes made in English and Spanish.
January 2020
In our Pennsylvania State Gun Laws page, we added information in English and Spanish to If the abuser’s gun is taken away, what will happen to it? regarding the 60-day time period that a person has to get rid of his/her firearms. We also updated What is the penalty for violating Pennsylvania state gun laws? based on a 2019 change to the law that lowered the penalty from a misdemeanor in the 1st degree to the 2nd degree for failing to properly surrender one’s firearms.
We added six statutes regarding extreme risk protection orders to our Selected New Jersey Statutes page in preparation for a soon-to-be-added section about extreme risk protection orders!
Based on 2019 additions to the law, we updated three questions in our New Jersey State Gun Laws section to add the following: 1) new reasons why firearm possession is illegal (due to an extreme risk protection or convictions for eight additional crimes), 2) the prohibition includes ammunition in addition to firearms; and 3) a conviction for an attempt or conspiracy to commit various crimes can also make firearm possession illegal. Changes made in English and Spanish.
We added a statute related to human trafficking to our Selected Montana Statutes page.
Based on a 2019 addition to the law, we added the additional grounds of “sexual abuse of children” and “human trafficking” for getting an order of protection to our Orders of Protection (for domestic violence victims) and Orders of Protection (for crime victims) sections.
We updated the website and phone number for the Mississippi Crime Victim Compensation Division on our Mississippi Crimes page.
We added a 2019 law related to filing appeals of protective order decisions to our Selected Mississippi Statutes page.
Based on a law that took effect July 2019, we added If I disagree with the judge’s decision to issue a protective order against me, can I appeal? to the Mississippi Protective Orders page