The Wisconsin Court System’s new Restraining Order Portal is now available statewide, giving people in all 72 counties an online option to prepare and file domestic abuse and harassment temporary restraining order petitions.
The portal went live statewide September 1 following a July and August pilot in eight counties. Accessible from phones and other mobile devices, the portal provides a guided, easy-to-understand process for generating the applicable court forms and submitting them directly to the circuit court through eFiling. Petitioners may also use the portal to prepare forms without creating an account.
“The Wisconsin Court System stands ready to help those in need. It takes an act of courage to file for a restraining order, and we want to make it as easy as possible for those who choose to seek court-ordered protection during what is often a challenging and urgent time,” Chief Justice Jill J. Karofsky said. “This portal is about keeping people safe by making the initial restraining order process clearer, more accessible, and user-friendly.”
Pilot testing took place in Adams, Barron, Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Sauk, and Waukesha counties. During the pilot, 72 petitions were filed through the portal, and 122 advocates, clerks, court officials, law enforcement representatives, and others received hands-on training.
The final phase of pilot testing took place August 20 and 21 in Milwaukee with Sojourner Family Peace Center, where advocates and court staff reviewed the portal and provided feedback.
“For many people, filing a restraining order is their first experience with the court system, and they may be trying to navigate that process during a very difficult time,” said Alma Inger of Waukesha County. “The portal gives petitioners a clearer place to start and walks them through the forms in plain language, step by step.”
Feedback throughout the pilot helped Court Operations and CCAP make changes before statewide launch, ranging from clearer wording to additional functionality. The testing also gave staff an opportunity to see how the portal worked in court settings and hear directly from clerks, advocates, court officials, and other users.
The portal is currently available for domestic abuse and harassment temporary restraining order petitions. Child abuse and individual-at-risk petitions are not available through the portal and must continue to be filed on paper or through the traditional circuit court eFiling process.
The Restraining Order Portal is part of a national effort to improve access to civil protection order processes. Wisconsin is one of three courts nationwide selected as a learner court in a project funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women and administered by the National Center for State Courts. The portal was also shaped with technical assistance from Innovation for Justice’s UX for Justice.
The Restraining Order Portal is available at ro.wicourts.gov.
Third Branch eNews is an online monthly newsletter of the Director of State Courts Office. If you are interested in contributing an article about your department’s programs or accomplishments, contact your department head. Information about judicial retirements and judicial obituaries may be submitted to: Sara.Foster@wicourts.gov