Text Evidence for Restraining Orders: What Courts Actually Need

You just got a text. Maybe it’s from an ex-partner, a former friend, or someone you’ve been trying to avoid. Your stomach drops. The words on the screen feel threatening, manipulative, or just deeply unsettling. You’ve thought about a restraining order, but you’re not sure if what you’re experiencing is enough. You’re not alone in that uncertainty. The legal system can feel like a foreign language, especially when your evidence lives in your phone. This article is a guide to translating that digital fear into something a court can understand and act upon. We’ll walk through exactly what kind of text evidence is needed for a restraining order, how to preserve it, and the hidden patterns within messages that judges are trained to recognize. The Legal Standard: What Makes a Text a Threat? A restraining order, often called a protective order, isn’t granted because someone is annoying or rude. The legal bar is higher: you must show a credible threat of violence, harassment, or stalking that