The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is dedicated to protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registrants and their families. In order to achieve that objective, ACSOL will educate and litigate as well as support or oppose legislation. The ACSOL website and recordings are provided as a service to registrants, registrants’ families, and others for general information only. The information on the website and in the recordings are not designed to provide legal or other advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. You should not take, or refrain from taking, action based on their content. Prior results and case studies do not guarantee a similar outcome in future representations. ACSOL accepts no responsibility for any loss or damages that may result from accessing or reliance on content on the ACSOL website and recordings and disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all liability with respect to acts or omissions made by registrants, registrants’ families and others on the basis of content on the ACSOL website.
Important News / Announcements
General News Feed
OR: Lane County class-action suit challenges Oregon’s sex offender registry risk classification
Source: statesmanjournal.com 4/14/26 A class action lawsuit filed in Lane County on April 2 against the Oregon State Police and the Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision alleges individuals on Oregon's sex offender registry have been systematically misclassified as a higher risk than they are. The plaintiff in the case, identified in court documents only as M.H., claims to be one of those people. In January...
IL: Investigations No Trial. No Guilty Verdict. How Civil Commitment in Illinois Can Mean Decades Behind Bars
Source: news.wttw.com 4/14/26 Under two different Illinois laws, people charged with sex offenses are subject to indefinite detention. More than 500 people are currently being held under the procedure known as civil commitment. This story explores the law that holds people who’ve only been charged with a crime — never convicted or sentenced. WTTW News also examined the law that continues to hold people after...
LA: Backwards Louisiana forces surgical castration as part of sentence
Source: thenationaldesk.com 4/12/26 BOSSIER PARISH, La. (WKRC) - A Bossier City man was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to a sex offense involving a child family member, according to the Bossier Parish District Court. Zachary ______, 40, entered a guilty plea April 6 to aggravated crimes against nature, according to the district attorney’s office. His sentence includes mandatory castration under...
Janice’s Journal: Time to Wait and See [SORNA decision]
After more than a year of delay, the federal district court issued an order in the SORNA regulations challenge. The order is complex as it addresses multiple legal issues raised by one or both of the parties in the litigation. Due to its complexity, the order can and already has been interpreted in different ways. And it is sure to be analyzed and pondered...
CA: Judge’s SORNA ruling protects due process rights of Californians caught in federal registration trap
Source: Pacific Legal Foundation 4/10/26 Also read Janice's comments On April 9, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction blocking the Department of Justice from prosecuting California residents under a federal sex-offender registration law without first confirming with the state that those individuals are required to register in the first place. PLF represents a group of plaintiffs who are caught in a bind created by...
How often does the Supreme Court overturn its own decisions?
Source: pewresearch.org 4/9/26 The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overrule two of its own long-standing legal precedents – one about presidential power over federal agencies, which has been in place for over 90 years, and another about campaign financing by political parties. These cases follow the court’s high-profile decision in June 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, a ruling that had guaranteed the right to an abortion nationwide...
NY: Residency restrictions force registrants into motels, which causes complaints by homeless families
Source: spectrumlocalnews.com 4/7/26 As New York increasingly relies on hotels to house families experiencing homelessness, a Spectrum News 1 review found in some counties those families may live next door to registered level two and level three sex offenders. Broome County, in the Southern Tier, was found to have three hotels in such a situation. Through a Freedom of Information Law request, Spectrum News 1 used payment records from the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to confirm which hotels Broome County uses as temporary housing...
CA: Court Overturns Former El Cajon Teacher’s Sex Crimes Conviction
Source: nationaltoday.com 3/30/26 Appellate panel reverses charges against Gerald Lopez, says evidence was insufficient to support child pornography conviction. A state appellate court panel has vacated sexual misconduct charges against a former Granite Hills High School teacher, Gerald Lopez, who was accused of engaging with a minor student in 2022. The court reversed Lopez's conviction on a child sex abuse material possession charge...
CA: Auburn man’s decades-long child porn sentence vacated on appeal
Source: fingerlakes1.com 4/5/26 A decades-long prison sentence for an Auburn man tied to a massive child pornography case just got wiped away on appeal, according to The Citizen. Darryl M. Overstreet, had been serving time after a 50-count indictment. An appeals court vacated his sentence last month, citing a legal error during sentencing. ... Read the full article
FL: DeSantis tells Florida House to impeach Tallahassee judge who released sex offender on bond
Source: floridaphoenix.com 3/31/26 Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on the Florida House to impeach a Tallahassee judge who briefly released a sex offender onto the streets, resulting in the killing of the man’s 5-year-old stepdaughter. “To my friends in the Florida House of Representatives, I don’t think what you’ve done is enough,” DeSantis said during a Tampa press conference on Tuesday. “You have the...
NY: Sign On to Support A More Evidence-Based Assessment Process in New York: Action Needed by April 8 @ 5pm ET
Source: Restorative Action Alliance I’m reaching out to invite you to join RAA and its partners to sign onto a support letter asking for targeted amendment to New York legislation A8930 | S3201. Thank you if you have already taken action and please share with others you feel might also want to support. This legislation seeks to update the process used to assign registry risk levels...
Wrong Target, Wrong Tool: Why the Registry Fails to Prevent Sexual Harm
Source: Florida Action Committee 4/2/26 The sex offender registry is supposed to keep kids safe, right? That’s the idea. In reality, across the United States the registry has grown into a massive database with nearly a million names, photos, vehicle descriptions, and an ever-growing list of details the public is expected to somehow sift through and memorize in the name of “safety.” On top...
FL: DeSantis signs Missy’s law requiring bond revocation for convicted offenders
Source: mysuncoast.com 3/31/26 SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two Florida bills aimed at increasing penalties in child sexual abuse cases and requiring custody for certain convicted defendants before sentencing. Speaking at the Tampa Bay Regional Operational Center at FDLE, DeSantis said the laws are meant to strengthen protections for children and prevent offenders from remaining free after conviction. One of the...
General Comments April 2026
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2026. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment. Other months General Comments
CA: State finds ‘systemic’ failures in how a California school district handles sex abuse allegations
Source: calmatters.org 3/20/26 A Southern California school district agreed to sweeping reforms Friday in settling a state attorney general investigation into how it handled allegations staff sexually abused students. The wide-ranging stipulated judgment with the El Monte Union High School District draws to a close an 18-month investigation, which found “systemic shortfalls in the district’s response to allegations and complaints of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse...
FL: Florida’s new sex offender registrant restrictions will not improve public safety
Source: reason.org 4/30/26 Making it impossible for people to find a place to live after serving their sentences is harsh and counterproductive to preventing further crimes. Florida lawmakers are preparing to add new restrictions on where certain registered sex offenders are allowed to live, blocking them from housing near public pools, which include splash pads and a variety of water recreation attractions. While...
Consider volunteering to participate in research on “Understanding the Treatment Needs of Women Required to Attend Sex Offense Treatment”
Source: barry.edu Women registrants, you are invited to participate in a voluntary research study titled “Understanding the Treatment Needs of Women Required to Attend Sex Offense Treatment.” This study is being conducted by Dr. Jill Levenson and co-researchers at Barry University. The study has been approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). The purpose of the study is to better understand women’s experiences in...
Canada: Convicted child pornography designated a long-term offender
Source: globalnews.ca 3/17/26 Convicted child pornography designated a long-term offender. Repeat child pornography offender Shane _______ has been designated a long-term offender. On Thursday morning, judge Richard Danyliuk accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence for a seven-year prison sentence and a 10-year supervision order Watch the video
OR: Oregon Supreme Court reverses child sex abuse conviction on privacy grounds
Source: philomathnews.com 3/29/26 The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a Lane County man’s conviction for encouraging child sex abuse, ruling that local authorities subjected him to a warrantless search when monitoring his use of a restaurant’s free wireless internet network. In 2018 and 2019, Oakridge resident Randall De Witt Simons had accessed an A&W restaurant’s wireless internet network which extended into the range...
CA: Sacramento sheriff launches ballot plan to block early release of sex predators
Source: msn.com 3/25/26 Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper announced a new ballot initiative that would revise Proposition 57 to prohibit sexually violent predators from being eligible for early parole. Saying the state’s independent parole board has “too much unfettered power,” Cooper said the “only way to reform Prop. 57 is to take it back to the voters. That’s why we’re choosing a ballot initiative.”...