AL: Alabama Legislature sends bill extending death penalty to child sexual assault to Gov. Kay Ivey

Source: alabamareflector.com 2/5/26 The Alabama Senate gave final approval to a bill Thursday that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for those convicted of sexual assault of a child under the age of 12, setting up a possible court battle over its constitutionality.  HB 41, sponsored by Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, passed the Senate 33-1 with no changes. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey.  Sen. April Weaver, R-Hoover, who sponsored the Senate version of the legislation, cited the discovery of a child sex trafficking ring last summer in Bibb County,…

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AZ: HB 2870 makes it harder for registrants to find housing by prohibiting multiple registrants at same location

Source: trackbill.com  [Arizona residents: take action to call, write, show up] … Makes it unlawful for a person who is on supervised release and who is classified as a level two or level three offender to reside with any other person who is also a registered sex offender, unless the persons are related by blood, marriage or adoption. … Read the full bill  

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AZ: HB 2413 (Nguyen) Mandating Electronic Monitoring for Homeless Sex Offenders Clears Judiciary Committee

Source: Representative Quang Nguyen  STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX – Legislation sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Quang Nguyen to strengthen monitoring of registered sex offenders was approved today by the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 2413 requires courts to place any registered sex offender who does not have a permanent address on global positioning system or electronic monitoring until a residence is established. The bill closes a serious gap in current law by ensuring offenders who cannot be reliably located are continuously monitored, strengthening accountability and protecting Arizona communities. Under existing…

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CA: ACSOL in the news: Sues Fresno County over new restrictions on sex offenders, claims ordinance is ‘unconstitutional’

Source: abc30.com 2/4/26 FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A new lawsuit filed against Fresno County claims its latest ordinance is ‘unconstitutional’. The Board of Supervisors is being challenged for its ordinance that is to take effect on Thursday, which seeks to limit the number of sex offenders per single household to a maximum of six. The ordinance has been contentious since the Board introduced it, with people on both sides voicing strong opinions. This lawsuit was filed by a group based in Sacramento that advocates for the rights of registered sex…

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AZ: Arizona Bill Would Make It a Felony for Parents To Bring Their Kids to Drag Shows

Source: reason.com 2/4/26 Bringing your kid to a drag show could become a felony crime in Arizona. Today, the state’s House Judiciary Committee will vote on House Bill 2589, a measure introduced by Rep. Michael Way (R–Queen Creek). H.B. 2589 would create the new criminal offense of “unlawful exposure to drag show performances,” a Class 4 felony. Class 4 felonies—a category that includes robbery, forgery, some burglaries, and some types of aggravated assault—are punishable by one to three years in prison for someone with no previous felony offenses. (For those with…

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NE: Nebraska Teacher, 26, Facing 20 Years In Prison For Dating High School Graduate, 19

Source: yahoo.com 2/2/26 Nebraska schoolteacher Cody_____, 26, and an 18-year-old female allegedly entered an intimate relationship two months after she graduated from high school Pester is now charged with sexual abuse by a school official If found guilty at trial, Cody could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison on that charge In the Spring of 2025, a sixth-grade teacher in Nebraska met a student in his capacity as the high school wrestling coach. Cody, 26, and the young woman began exchanging texts on May 10, which is…

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CA: Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist’s sex abuse conviction

Source: apnews.com 2/2/26 LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court on Monday overturned a sex abuse conviction against a former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist and ordered the case to be retried. A three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Dr. James Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share with his defense counsel a note by the court’s foreman pointing out concerns that one juror lacked sufficient English to carry out their duties. Heaps’ attorney, Leonard Levine, said he and his team…

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Changing the Way People, Politics & the Media Look at Sex

Source: martyklein.com 1/28/26 Megan’s Law Keeps Harming America   Who cares about a bunch of sex offenders? And if we can keep children safer by destroying molesters’ lives, what’s the problem? That’s the thinking behind Megan’s Law (1994), the Adam Walsh Act (2006), efforts to require special Sex Offender license plates, and dozens of other laws to restrict the movement, residence, employment, privacy, and every other right of convicted sex offenders. Megan’s Law was sponsored by New Jersey congressman Dick Zimmer, who recently died at age 81. Signed by then-president…

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UK: Inmate’s suicide highlights indifference by guards when it comes to sex offenders

Source: bbc.com 2/3/26 A sex offender killed himself after being bullied and attacked by other inmates at a prison, a coroner has said. Nigel Feckey was declared dead in his cell at HMP Fosse Way, in Glen Parva, Leicestershire, on 23 September 2024, after being repeatedly targeted by fellow prisoners who found out about his offending. Assistant coroner Dianne Hocking, who oversaw Feckey’s inquest, which concluded on 23 January, said she was concerned sex offenders were not segregated from other prisoners at the jail at the time. Hocking said Feckey…

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Non-Punitive in Name Only: How Ellingburg v. United States Threatens Florida’s “Civil” Registry Model

Source: thewillardreport.substack.com 2/1/26 The Doctrine of Finality is the bedrock of the American criminal justice system—the silent promise that once a citizen pays their debt, the ledger is closed. But in Florida, that ledger is written in disappearing ink. For nearly thirty years, Tallahassee has perfected a system where the rules of the Florida sex offender registry change every legislative session, effectively re-litigating over 30,000 “closed” cases every January. Since 1997, the state has tightened the screws over 20 times, transforming this supposedly “civil” administrative tool into what the nation’s…

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NM: Bill eliminating statute of limitations on sex crimes moves through Roundhouse

Source: krqe.com 2/1/26 NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A bill that would eliminate the statute of limitations on certain sex crimes, including those against children, is moving forward in the Roundhouse. On Sunday, the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee discussed Senate Bill 41, which would eliminate the time cap on when survivors of sexual assault could come forward to report and prosecute the offender. Supporters of the bill say this change reflects what data shows about why so many of these crimes go underreported, or reported years later. “Fear, shame, threats,…

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