In Louisiana and across the country, family courts routinely fail domestic violence survivors by refusing to apply laws meant to protect them, or by misinterpreting those laws. As a result, domestic violence survivors are sometimes denied needed protections for both themselves and their children. Yet little recourse exists for most victims in the civil court system, where parties are not entitled to representation, and the costs of appeal can create an insurmountable barrier to safety and justice. The Clinic’s state-wide Appellate Advocacy Project provides representation and/or consultation to survivors who need to appeal orders that place them at risk or misapply the laws meant to protect them.
In 2016 over 1,300 temporary protective orders were issued by civil court, but they resulted in only 258 protective orders.
