Source: valawyersweekly.com 12/11/25 Where the district court did not evaluate each element of a three-part test when it concluded that a prison was part of the special territorial jurisdiction of the United States, the defendant’s conviction was vacated. Background After a bench trial, the district court convicted Jesse Perez of producing and possessing child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1466A at the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, Virginia. The district court determined Perez “committed [his offense] in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States” because…
Read MoreDay: December 12, 2025
PA: PARSOL: SORNA’s internet identifier provision is ruled unconstitutionally vague
Source: parsol.org 12/9/25 Armstrong County, PA] On Dec. 3, 2025, Judge James J. Panchik of the Court of Common Pleas of Armstrong County, ruled SORNA’s internet identifier provision is unconstitutionally vague. The Com. v. Michael Diebold case arises from a new failure‑to‑provide‑accurate‑registration‑information charge filed after the defendant, in litigating a habeas petition in an earlier SORNA case, disclosed a list of 66 websites he used and a Craigslist email exchange about brush‑cutting services. In response, PSP and the Armstrong County DA treated both Craigslist itself and a Craigslist‑generated relay email address as “internet…
Read MoreAZ: Court ruling dismisses valid complaints about Arizona’s sex offender registry, expert says
Source: kjzz.org 12/9/25 A federal judge ruled in November that Arizona’s sex offender registry is constitutional. The Arizona Mirror reported on the lawsuit filed by a man who went by John Doe. He had been convicted of sexual conduct with a minor in 2016. His lawsuit claimed the requirement that he register as a sex offender violated his due process and free speech rights. The suit also tried to do away with the laws that required him to register as a sex offender for life, register his residency in a new…
Read MoreCA: As California prisons face ‘wave’ of sex assault lawsuits, new audit highlights slow discipline
Source: calmatters.org 12/9/25 Five California correctional officers who were accused of sexually assaulting incarcerated people over the last dozen years remain employed by the state, according to a new audit from the state prisons’ inspector general. The audit, released last week, is a twice-a-year summary of how the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation addresses complaints about its staff members. Overall, the inspector general found fault with the internal affairs department’s investigations into prison guard misconduct. The audit labeled 86% of the prison system’s internal affairs disciplinary and criminal caseload as…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: The Epstein Shadow
As the year 2025 comes to an end, it is time to reflect upon a significant but unspoken factor that has influenced the registrant community this year. That factor is the Epstein Shadow. What do I mean by that term? Throughout this year, information regarding Jeffrey Epstein has been shared and continues to be shared with the public. The flow of that information has been erratic at best. That is because some of the information is being released by Congress, the legislative branch of the government. And some of the…
Read More