Protective orders: Wyland’s Law.

Assembly Member Stefani's protective order transparency measure establishes new documentation requirements for California courts and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to verify the transmission and receipt of protective order information. The legislation, known as Wyland's Law, requires superior courts to maintain records confirming when protective orders are sent to DOJ's California Restraining and Protective Order System, while DOJ must document receipt of these orders.

The bill creates a formal process for accessing these verification records, requiring courts and DOJ to provide them within one business day to petitioners, respondents, protected persons, or their representatives upon request. By January 2027, both entities must implement electronic request forms and dedicated email addresses, prominently displayed on their websites under "Wyland's Law Record Request." While these records will be open to public inspection and copying, courts and DOJ may redact protected persons' identifying information from publicly available documents.

These provisions apply retroactively to cases pending before January 2026 when verification of transmission obligations is needed. The measure builds upon existing protective order reporting requirements between courts and DOJ while adding specific documentation and accessibility protocols to track compliance with information sharing mandates.