Civil rights attorney Adele Nicholas, whose office is located in Chicago, has joined the board of directors of ACSOL, a nationwide non-profit organization. Nicholas’ legal practice is devoted to fighting systemic abuses in the criminal justice systems as well as combatting police misconduct.
“We are delighted that Ms. Nicholas has agreed to join the leadership of ACSOL,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “She is a zealous advocate for rational evidence-based sex offense laws and has devoted a substantial part of her practice to successfully challenging the constitutionality of residency restrictions, presence restrictions and registration laws in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.”
Nicholas is the sixth attorney to join the current ACSOL board of directors. Additional board members who are attorneys include Chance Oberstein, Catherine Carpenter, Ira Ellman, Janice Bellucci and Alex Landon. The remaining ACSOL board members include sociologist Emily Horowitz, Guy Hamilton-Smith, author Frank Lindsay, auditor David Whitehead, homeless advocate Alex Gittinger and emotional support group leader Sherri Harlow.
May God continue to bless this amazing team!
That is really great news! This will greatly help ACSOL to become a powerful civil rights advocacy group. I actually didn’t realize we already had so many lawyers on the Board of Directors. It would be great if there was a short bio about each board member on this site’s about-me page.
On another subject: How about a page on recommended attorneys available to hire in each State?
Welcome Adele! You in for the biggest Fight of your life ! Hope you up to it!!! You will be kicked Hard for defending sex offenders even thou the numbers are low on anyone doing the same crime. But i welcome you too this family ! Who have been though hell over the years. Some people can’t get a job or find a home too live in peace! And a lot of people out there never did any thing too. A child but good luck fighting
Congrats! ACSOL is growing!
I’m happy to have Ms. Nicolas on board to fight presence and residency restrictions as well as registration laws. Recently, I took the presence and residency restriction laws linked to all 50 states and US Territories. There were 27 states/territories that have presence restrictions and 29 states/territories that have residency restrictions.
Having inconsistent laws between the states is scary to registrants. For example, a California registrant doesn’t have presence or residency restriction (save grade school), but if you venture to one of the states with presence or residency restrictions when travelling to other states, then you could be violating state laws. It’s odd because if each state has distinct, unique laws based upon their registration conviction, then how can that distinct, unique law be enforced onto an out-of-state registrant? This doesn’t make any sense have distinct, unique laws for each state, but make registrants register in a different state where the registrant did not commit that crime in that particular state.
Smith v Doe, 2003 stated that the registry didn’t affect travel, employment, or housing. Also, the SCOTUS made sure in its opinion to state that the registrant did not have to do an in-person re-registration because that would be a direct disability. That’s the only federal law laid down. Every other law above the 2003 decision is going beyond the statutory means of the registry.
Is the registry a national registry or a state registry? If state registry, then the crime was only committed in that state alone. How does it apply to another state if each state is treated differently? Each state has their own law on what is a sex crime and there are some states whose age of consent is different. Yet the registry is treated as one registry for the nation, and not treated upon the individual.
For example, if Michigan has declared in-person registration is unconstitutional (Snyder v Michigan), then why isn’t that law being implemented for all 50 states and territories? Similarly, if California has declared presence and residency laws unconstitution, then why isn’t that law being implemented for all 50 states and territories? It’s very unusual because if you are put on the registry in one state, then you must register in all 50 states and territories.
It appears the states want to the cake and have their ice cream too when it wants to be treated separately as a state to implement its own laws, but then wants laws it implements only to registrants at a national level.
One point I want to bring up as a California registrant. According to Smith v Doe, 2003, the registry was statutory because it was done through the mail, it didn’t affect travel, housing, or employment (essentially no restrictions put upon the registrant), nor did it have law enforcement watching over you. But we have to do in-person re-registration at least once a year (more if you go college), have restrictions still put upon you, and law enforcement does compliance checks. My last compliance check had residents tell the officer that I was in college at their time of visiting, but the officer (in full gear) made sure to come back late in the evening to make sure I signed a piece of paper that stated I was living at that residence that I have been living at for the past seven/eight years. So I’m still under custody? Because when I was on probation I had to check-in in-person, had restrictions, and the PO would go to my residence to inspect. Yet, I completed my probation that told the state I am no longer under custody. I paid my dues as those were my conditions to punishment. But I’m still doing the same thing under probation, which is punishment, when I’m supposed to be no longer under custody.
The state will continue to pile on more for registrants. So I’m happy to have more advocates on our side.
Great news! Wish you all much success in fighting for the justice of citizens!
I’m so thankful daily for this team. They do care about the individual and for the Constitution which was once a respected document. Someday… with education, perhaps the general public will not have need of an underclass.
Wow! What a great development! I remember calling Adele back in 2015 or 2016 when she was involved in a sex offender case that I had found in the Google feed, and called her office to direct her to then-CA RSOL’s growing litigation successes with city registration restriction ordinances and their transcripts. She was pleasantly surprised, as she was just starting to research the horrific registry laws in Illinois. It was a pleasant five-minute conversation, and glad I was able to then inform her of the organization. To find her part of the organization is a godsend!
Adele Nicholas has been an effective advocate in the Midwest. I’m glad that we have a closer tie to California and ACSOL.
Awesome!!
Thank you so much attorney Nicholas, from the bottom of my heart. You are doing something amazing here. Thank you ACSOL
Your right, some of these state agencies don’t care about the U.S construction. The last 14yrs. Of my life, I have been forced to register as a sex offered, and wear a gps ankle monitor. My conviction way a misdemeanor back in 1986 PC 314.1 I plead no contest to urinating outside, which I should not have plead guilty to because there was no injured party. Anyway, the judge did not court order me to register as a sex offered or wear an ankle monitor. I was sentenced to serve 30 days in the county jail and probation which I completed. Then in 1985 I was sent to prison for receiving stolen property and possession of drugs, and when I was released from prison, California Dept of Corrections labeled me a Sexual Violent Predator, made me go to SVP counseling sessions, and made me register as a sex offender, and wear a gps ankle monitor. I began the 602 process trying to have CDC remove the svp registration and ankle monitor from my parole conditions, but my cry’s have fallen on death ears these last 14 years. Finally, I had my fiancé write a letter to the court pointing out how my constitutional rights have been violated, and I’m due back in court December 2, 2019. If you know of any agency that can help me with getting my remedy, and possibly filing a lawsuit against CDC and all others who has wronged me in this matter please respond to this email. I am not asking for legal advice, but I am asking for your advice on who I can contact in the state of CA for help. Thank you, John Richardson
Yes i was convicted in 1998 choir sex crime was released 2001 for 6 yr. Sentence. However i was convicted in 2014 for theft and burglary have no history of predatory veggie 1995 or after 2001 yet I’m on gps pay for a group counseling session once a week $35 or of pocket i did time for offense yet I’m still being punished for same charge 20+years later how can i get off this and live my life I’m 54 yrs of age and have really changed my life for the better and this registry has really taking a tool on me