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Pick up court papers from the clerk

After you file your forms, a judge will review your court papers to decide whether to give you temporary protection, if you asked for it. After the judge decides, you'll need to go back to the courthouse to pick up your court papers. If you did not ask for a temporary restraining order, you will get your papers back once the clerk stamps your copies.

Read the judge's orders

Once you pick up your forms, read the forms to see what the judge ordered.

You have a court date. Look at form CH-109 to see when and where your court date (court hearing)  is.

If the judge signed form CH-110, this means you have a temporary restraining order. The orders granted on form CH-110 only last until your court date. You must go to your court date if you want a long-term restraining order. Keep a copy of the signed CH-110 form with you at all times. If you have a phone, you can also use your phone to take a picture of all the pages so you always have proof of it. Having a copy of your restraining order will help you if you need to call the police to report a violation.

The orders you received now are temporary and will expire at the time of your court date. At your court date, the judge can still grant any of the orders you requested on form CH-100. If you have more information (videos, pictures, additional events) that you want the judge to know about, contact your local Self-Help Center for help.

If the judge did not grant you a temporary restraining order, the judge can still grant you a restraining order at your court date. If you still want a restraining order, you will need to follow all the steps in the process, including having the other side served. If you no longer want a restraining order, get free help at your local Self-Help Center or talk to a lawyer to learn how to cancel it.

There are people that can help you come up with a safety plan to keep you safe at home, work, school, other places that you go, and online. To learn more about creating a plan, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline or the Stalking Hotline.

 

Serving your court papers

What's next?

After you get a court date for your restraining order, you must have someone give a copy of your court papers to the person you need protection from (the other side in your case). This is called serving court papers.

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