Building a statewide civil protection order portal

Background

More than half of Louisiana residents experience physical violence in their lifetime, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The state has the fifth-highest rate of women murdered by men nationwide, and in 56% of cases, victims know their assailants.¹

While Louisiana's civil protection order (CPO) process is collaborative and committed, it is complicated by uneven procedures, limited technology, and resource gaps. Services across parishes are varied, creating barriers for survivors seeking timely legal protection. Fragmented e-filing systems, paper-based workflows, and inconsistent procedures further hinder efficiency, data accuracy, and safety. 

Despite these challenges, Louisiana has implemented significant initiatives to improve services that include the creation of the  Louisiana Protective Order Registry and standardized statewide protective order and courtesy petition forms. Additionally, the Domestic Violence Prevention Commission was created in 2014 by the governor's office to address local and statewide concerns. 

To advance these efforts, the Louisiana Supreme Court (LASC), with support from legislative funding, launched an initiative in 2025 to develop a secure, statewide civil protection order portal to simplify filing, improve service delivery, and ensure equitable access to justice across all 64 parishes.

Improving access to justice

CPO portals are emerging across the country as essential tools that improve access to protection orders. They simplify the filing process through guided, online experiences; standardize forms and workflows; and reduce errors.

Modern virtual portals also offer strong privacy protections, multilingual support, interpreter integration, and built-in safety planning resources that connect users to community services. 

Developing technical requirements

The Louisiana Supreme Court engaged NCSC to develop technical requirements for the statewide portal, ensuring seamless integration across multiple court systems and improved user experience. 

Phase I specifically prioritized stakeholder engagement and documentation of current practices. NCSC supported this foundational work by:

• Gathering statewide data.
• Understanding the court and service landscape.
• Mapping business processes.
• Assessing existing protection order procedures.
• Identifying technological and operational needs.

This groundwork positions the court to engage a vendor to build a statewide virtual portal that meets business needs and project timelines. 

Key considerations

During phase 1, several key considerations guided the court's ongoing efforts to implement a civil protection order portal: 

1. Continue to improve access to legal representation and resources for all parties involved in CPOs.
2. Provide opportunities to expand and integrate existing coordinated and collaborative efforts of stakeholders and partners.
3. Identify potential solutions to streamline current processes, services, and enforcement of CPOs across the state.
4. Further the current use of available technology resources and update resources as needed to better support stakeholders in their regular day-to-day activities. 

Next steps

The "Louisiana Civil Protection Order Portal Implementation Assessment" details the phase 1 process. The collaboration now turns toward implementation. Potential next steps are:

• Developing functional requirements based on business process documentation.
• Creating detailed user stories for each role — petitioner, attorney, clerk of court, judge, law enforcement, and advocate.
• Identifying opportunities for new processes and technology capabilities to bridge current gaps and future needs.
• Procuring a vendor to build the trauma-informed, user-centered portal.