Members of both ACSOL and Family Safety Foundation (FSF) boards of directors conducted their annual face-to-face meeting yesterday to discuss challenges facing registrants and their families. During that meeting, the boards identified two top priorities for the year 2023: improvements to the Tiered Registry Law and suing the CA Department of Justice for its expected failure to assign tiers to all registrants. ACSOL will lead the challenge of improving the Tiered Registry because it will require lobbying the state legislature in Sacramento. Proposed improvements include reduced tier reductions for those…
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Update: ACSOL Demands End of Halloween Signs for 2 county sheriff’s offices
ACSOL sent a letter today demanding that the Sheriff in Faulkner County, Arkansas, immediately end a county wide program that requires all registrants in that county to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween. The letter warns that if this demand is not met, all available legal remedies will be pursued. “Courts have consistently determined that Halloween sign requirements for registrants are unconstitutional,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That is because the signs are compelled government speech and violate the First Amendment.” The most…
Read MoreCA Court Grants Contested Petition for Removal from Registry
A judge in Pasadena Superior Court yesterday granted a petition for removal from the registry despite an objection filed by the Los County District Attorney. The petition was filed on behalf of an individual who was convicted 25 years ago in the same court and by the same judge. According to the District Attorney (DA), the registrant should be required to continue registration in order to “significantly enhance community safety.” The only evidence presented in support of this position by the DA were documents related to the initial charges and…
Read MorePLF Files Two Motions in SORNA Regulations Case
The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) this week filed two motions in the pending federal lawsuit challenging SORNA regulations that became effective earlier this year. One of those motions asked the court to approve the use of pseudonyms for four individuals identified as John Doe #1, John Doe #2, John Doe #3 and John Doe #4. The court granted that motion one day after it was filed. The second motion is a request for preliminary injunction which would, if granted, stop enforcement of some SORNA regulations. A hearing for this motion…
Read MoreCourt to Rule on SORNA Regulations Motion Without Hearing
The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) decided today to waive oral argument regarding its pending Motion for Preliminary Injunction filed in the SORNA regulations challenge. The decision to waive oral argument was made by PLF after the court delayed six times the date of the hearing on that motion. In the absence of oral argument regarding the motion, the court will make its decision based upon the extensive written record provided by both parties. The court does not have a deadline by which to make its decision, which could affect the…
Read MoreIllinois Civil Rights Attorney Adele Nicholas to Join ACSOL Conference
Illinois civil rights attorney Adele Nicholas will join the ACSOL conference on October 1 in a presentation regarding her recent significant legal victory in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. In that decision, the Court reversed a prior ruling and determined that a city law that limited the number of registrants who could live there had been applied retroactively. Ms. Nicholas will join ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci in a discussion starting at 3:30 p.m. regarding possible methods to overcome the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Smith v. Doe, issued in…
Read MorePA Attorney Aaron Marcus to Speak at ACSOL Conference
ACSOL is pleased to announce that Aaron Marcus, lead attorney in a recent successful case in Pennsylvania, has agreed to speak at this year’s virtual conference on Saturday, October 1. Marcus will provide an in-depth analysis of the Torsilieri decision, describe the significant efforts leading to that success as well as possible future applications of that case. Marcus’ presentation will begin at 9:20 a.m. (Pacific) and include law professor and ACSOL board member Catherine Carpenter who recently completed a comprehensive law review article regarding the irrebuttable presumption doctrine that was…
Read MoreACSOL Conference to Feature Distinguished Speakers, Important Panels
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will conduct its annual conference on Saturday, October 1. The cost is just $25. The conference will be virtual on Zoom and feature distinguished speakers including attorney Caleb Kruckenberg of the Pacific Legal Foundation, Ilan Meyer of UCLA, criminal defense attorneys Chance Oberstein and Alex Landon as well as civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci. Mr. Kruckenberg is the lead attorney in the case challenging the SORNA regulations. At the conference, he will make a presentation about the ongoing litigation and its potential…
Read MoreACSOL Board Votes to Discontinue Support for March 2023 Conference
The board of directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) unanimously voted yesterday to discontinue its support for the March 2023 conference in Washington, D.C. Prior to that vote, ACSOL had donated $5,000 to the Women Against Registry foundation for that conference. The ACSOL board’s decision yesterday followed a decision made a few weeks ago to withdraw its support for the vigil planned to be held in March 2023 near the U.S. Supreme Court. The purpose of the vigil was to educate the U.S. Supreme Court regarding…
Read MoreACSOL Withdraws Support from Vigil
The board of directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has decided to withdraw its support from the vigil planned for Washington, D.C., in March 2023. The decision is based upon a belief held by a majority of board members that it is no longer safe to conduct the vigil given the highly polarized environment in the nation’s capitol. The ACSOL board of directors did not, however, withdraw its support for the conference to be held in the Washington, D.C., area on March 5 and March 6,…
Read MoreNew CA Tiered Registry Lawsuit Filed in L.A. Superior Court
Source: ACSOL A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 16 challenging a provision of the California Tiered Registry Law. Specifically, a registrant is challenging his assignment to Tier 3 based upon his conviction for violating Penal Code Section 288(c)(1). According to the lawsuit, the registrant’s tier assignment violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The lawsuit requests that the court prohibit the California Department of Justice from assigning individuals convicted of Section 288(c)(1) to Tier 3. After his original conviction of a felony violation…
Read MoreLocation Selected for March 2023 Conference in D.C. Area
The Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia, has been selected as the location for the March 2023 conference. The hotel is located at 300 Army Navy Drive near National Airport. There is a free shuttle bus between the hotel and that airport. Click here to reserve your room in our block. The first day of the March 2023 conference will begin on Sunday, March 5, at 8 a.m. Invited speakers include Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, who is a vocal supporter of registrants, Professor Jill Levenson, David Cole of the…
Read MoreACSOL Joins Pacific Legal Foundation in Challenge to SORNA Regulations
Source: ACSOL The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) to challenge the federal SORNA regulations that became effective in January 2022. As a signatory to the MOU, ACSOL has agreed to serve as a named plaintiff in the lawsuit which will be filed in the Central district of California, a federal trial court. The remaining plaintiff is a registrant who resides in California and will be known as “John Doe.” The lawsuit will include a request…
Read MoreACSOL Leaders to Educate Judges, DA’s and Others in San Diego Conference
Source: ACSOL Several ACSOL leaders will educate judges, district attorneys, public defenders, law enforcement and mental health professionals this week at the annual conference of the Forensic Mental Health Professionals. The conference will be held on April 13 through April 15 in San Diego. ACSOL leaders participating in the conference include Vice President Catherine Carpenter who will make a presentation regarding registrants and the challenges they face. In addition, ACSOL board members Jay Rice and Alex Gittinger will make a formal poster presentation regarding the impact of current laws and…
Read MoreNumber of CA Registrant Continues to Decline
The number of persons required to register in California continues to decrease according to a report from the CA Department of Justice (CA DOJ) presented during today’s meeting of the CA Sex Offender Management Board. Specifically, the number of registrants has decreased by 108 persons during the month of February to a new total of 108,432. “Although the reason for the smaller number of persons required to register was not disclosed during the meeting, it is believed that the decrease is due to an increase in the number of petitions…
Read MoreALI Council Approves Most of Model Penal Code
The Council of the American Law Institute (ALI) has approved most of the model penal code (MPC) adopted by its members. The Council’s approval took place during its meeting held this week following a decision in January to delay consideration of the model penal code. The most significant portions of the MPC include: (1) significant reduction in the number of offenses that require registration, (2) maximum registration period of 15 years, (3) elimination of all public registries and (4) prohibition against many collateral consequences. “The American Law Institute is to…
Read MoreACSOL Has New Mailing Address
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has a new mailing address: ACSOL 2110 K Street Sacramento, CA 95816 The new address is very similar to the old address. The only changes are the “house” number and the last digit of the zip code. Please address all future correspondence to the new address effective immediately. Thank you.
Read MoreACSOL Files SORNA Regulations Complaint with DOJ’s Inspector General
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today filed a complaint regarding the new SORNA regulations with the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice. According to that complaint, the regulations are unlawful for several reasons. First, the regulations are not based on empirical evidence which demonstrate that most individuals required to register no longer pose a current risk to society. This evidence includes studies conduct by and reports issued by both government and academic sources. Second, the regulations create an unfunded mandate upon both state and local…
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