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Legal Information: Arkansas

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of November 6, 2024

Step 3: The ex parte hearing

Give your forms to the clerk. S/he will then give them to the judge who may or may not want to speak to you at an ex parte hearing. After reviewing your petition, a judge can give you a temporary ex parte order of protection if you requested one. The judge can give you a temporary order of protection if s/he finds that:

  • you are in immediate and present danger of domestic abuse; or
  • the respondent is scheduled to be released from prison within 30 days, and there will be an immediate and present danger of domestic abuse when s/he is released.1

Even if the judge denies you an ex parte order, you still have the right to request a hearing to try to get a final order. The hearing would be scheduled within 30 days and both you and the abuser would have the chance to present evidence to the judge.2 

1 Ark. Code § 9-15-206(a)
2 Ark. Code § 9-15-204(a)

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