# Organizing pictures, text messages, and emails for a DVRO hearing > A cautious, official-source workflow for organizing pictures, text messages, emails, screenshots, recordings, and three copies for a California DVRO hearing. **Direct answer.** Organize pictures, text messages, emails, and other documents; bring 3 copies and ask a local Self-Help Center before relying on recordings. Preserve screenshots with the date, sender, and complete conversation, and label every copy clearly. ## Start with the official hearing checklist California Courts lists pictures, text messages, and emails as examples of evidence a person may gather for a restraining-order hearing. It also tells people to make 3 copies of documents they want the judge to see: one for themselves, one for the other side, and one for the court file. The filing court can have additional exhibit procedures. Evidence questions can involve admissibility, authentication, privacy, and local courtroom practice. JusticeOS does not decide whether an item proves abuse or whether a judge will consider it. This guide is an organization workflow, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer or the local Self-Help Center about case-specific evidence decisions. ## Preserve a complete, readable record For screenshots of text messages, keep the sender or phone number visible and include the date and time when the device displays them. Capture enough of the complete conversation to preserve context rather than cropping a single line. If the thread is long, use overlapping screenshots so a reviewer can follow the order without guessing what came between images. Keep the original messages on the device when it is safe to do so, and store a backup in a location the other person cannot access. Do not edit the underlying files. If you create a shorter court copy, preserve the full original separately and label the copy accurately. A printed screenshot and the original digital record serve different purposes. For pictures, keep the original file and its date information when available. For emails, preserve the full message, sender, recipient, subject, and date rather than copying only selected sentences. Do not add facts to an image. If you need an explanatory note, place it in an index or on a separate copy and keep the original untouched. ## Build a simple index before making copies Put the materials in a sequence a stranger can follow. A chronological order often works, but the right organization depends on the purpose of the exhibits. Give each item a neutral label, such as “Exhibit 1 — text-message thread dated May 4,” and use the same label wherever you refer to it. Check that every page is legible at normal print size, page numbers run in order, and no attachment is missing. Avoid printing hundreds of disorganized pages simply because they exist. Organization does not change the legal weight of evidence, but it reduces the chance that a reader cannot locate what your own declaration references. After the set is final, follow the official instruction to prepare 3 copies unless the filing court gives a different electronic or local rule. Keep one working copy with your notes separate from clean copies intended for the court and the other side. ## Ask before using recordings or sensitive material California Courts specifically says to check with the local Self-Help Center before the court date if you have audio or video recordings, because a judge may require a transcript or use a local procedure. Recording law can also raise legal questions that software should not answer from a generic page. Protect private information. Review every proposed exhibit for a Social Security number, account number, medical detail, child information, safe address, or location data. Do not assume a court filing is private. Ask the clerk, Self-Help Center, or lawyer about redaction and confidential filing procedures before submitting sensitive information. JusticeOS is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The evidence organizer can order and label screenshots, but it does not authenticate them, decide relevance, select the strongest item, or predict what the court will do. ## Questions people ask next ### How many copies of evidence should I bring? California Courts says to make 3 copies of documents you want the judge to review: one for you, one for the other side, and one for the court file. Check the local court for any different electronic or exhibit rule. ### What should a text-message screenshot show? Preserve the sender or number, date and time, and enough of the complete conversation for context. Keep the original message thread and an unedited backup when it is safe to do so. ### Can I bring audio or video recordings? California Courts says to check with the local Self-Help Center before the hearing. A judge may require a transcript, and recording or privacy law can require case-specific legal advice. ## Official sources - [California Courts — Prepare for your restraining-order court date](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/DV-restraining-order/prepare-court-date) - [California Courts — Find legal help and Self-Help Centers](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/get-free-or-low-cost-legal-help) ## Related guides - [DV-100: what the California request form asks for](https://justiceos.ai/guides/dv-100) - [Serving California DVRO papers: who can serve and what to file](https://justiceos.ai/guides/dvro-service) - [How to check California DVRO forms for common completeness problems](https://justiceos.ai/guides/check-california-dvro-forms) Published 2026-07-20. Reviewed against official California Courts guidance on 2026-07-20. --- JusticeOS is not a law firm, is not your lawyer, and does not give legal advice. It explains California court forms and procedure in plain language and cites official sources. In immediate danger call 911. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233. Canonical HTML: https://justiceos.ai/guides/dvro-evidence