I voted today. I know. What’s the big deal, right? Most Americans exercise the privilege sorta like they wash their cars. Sometimes it’s important. Other times, whatever. And that’s all it is, you know. A privilege. Yes, it’s 2016. Yes, we talk a good game about self-government and democracy. But voting in American, unlike speech and breeding, still doesn’t rank as “fundamental” in the pantheon of rights, at least not “legally” speaking. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: General News
The Biggest Sex-Trafficking Bust in FBI History Was Totally Bogus
In the press, it was a “wide-reaching sex-trafficking operation” run by Somali Muslim gangs who forced “girls as young as 12” to sell sex in Minnesota and Tennessee. In reality, the operation—which led to charges against 30 individuals, sex-trafficking convictions for three, and an eight year legal battle—was a fiction crafted by two troubled teenagers, a member of the FBI’s human-trafficking task force, and an array of overzealous officials. An opinion released this week by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals shows that federal prosecuters had no evidence whatsoever to…
Read MoreThe List
When juveniles are found guilty of sexual misconduct, the sex-offender registry can be a life sentence. Full Article
Read MoreHe ‘couldn’t fight back’: Mom of beaten baby wants abuser registry
On a November morning in 2013, Erica Hammel learned over the phone that her 1-year-old son Wyatt was near death — hospitalized with a skull fracture and brain damage after being violently shaken by a woman trusted to care for him. Hammel would later learn the woman had twice been convicted of child abuse — a revelation that led the Michigan mother to fight for a state-wide child abuser registry, which, if passed, would be the first of its kind in the nation. Full Article
Read MoreNo, Senator Grassley, the Adam Walsh Act does NOT need to be re-authorized (Open Letter)
Mr. Grassley, like you, we grieve with families of children who are victimized and abused, and we especially grieve that virtually all of this type of crime is committed by the family members and others close to their young victims. Like you, we would like to see a strong commitment to keeping our nation’s children safe. Unlike you, however, we have seen no evidence of this commitment for the past twenty-five years. Such a commitment must be based on solid research, on facts and evidence, and on the reality of…
Read MoreGrassley Introduces Bill to Aid States, Public in Tracking Sex Offenders
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today introduced legislation to assist states in preventing future abuses by registered sex offenders. The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Reauthorization helps to improve tracking of sex offenders through federal support of state registries and dedicated resources to target offenders who fail to comply with registration requirements. Full Press Release Bill Text
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Hope on the Horizon?
Is there hope on the horizon? The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in Nichols v. United States, a case that pitted the federal government against a registrant who left the state of Kansas in order to move permanently to the Philippines. The government argued before the Court that the registrant violated the law by failing to notify Kansas of his departure before he actually departed. That argument is not hope. Instead, hope came in the form of pointed questions and statements made by several Supreme Court justices during…
Read MoreSCOTUS: Justices on both sides invoke Scalia in sentencing case
WASHINGTON — The late Justice Antonin Scalia’s writing turned up in dueling Supreme Court opinions Tuesday, a fitting tribute to the justice who co-authored an entire book on interpreting the law. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan both invoked the book Scalia wrote with Bryan Garner in 2012 in a case over a lengthy prison term for a man convicted of possessing child pornography. Full Article
Read MoreSCOTUS: Justices skeptical about government’s interpretation of sex-offender-registration law (Analysis)
In the early days of Monday Night Football, as soon as it became evident that the game was effectively over, color commentator “Dandy” Don Meredith would begin to croon, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over . . . .” During the government’s argument in Tuesday’s hearing in Nichols v. United States, the lights in the courtroom actually went out. And, if the Justices’ hostile questioning of the government’s lawyer provides any clue, the party may indeed be over. After Daniel Hansmeier, the federal public defender representing petitioner Lester Ray…
Read MoreGeneral Comments March 2016
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of March 2016. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil.
Read MoreSCOTUS: Justices weigh whether sex offenders should be tracked worldwide
Members of the Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of the federal government’s argument that a registered sex offender should be required to notify authorities when moving to another country. Full Article Oral Argument Transcript Case History Related Justices Target Unclear Sex Offender Registration Rule – Criminal Law Reporter Argument preview: When a sex offender moves out of the country, does he have to tell anyone? – CA RSOL
Read MoreThe media is making parents hysterical
If you watched the Oscars on Sunday night, you learned that there are two very scary things in the world. (Three if you count Heidi Klum’s dress.) 1. Grizzly bears. 2. Men. Full Article
Read MoreFAC Files UN Human Rights Complaint over International Megan’s Law
The Florida Action Committee today has submitted a complaint to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on behalf of our members and registrants in the State of Florida who are now subject to the new requirements of the International Megan’s Law. If you are interested in filing a complaint on your own behalf, please contact [email protected] to request instructions. FAC Statement
Read MoreInjured U.S. vets now hunting child predators
Largo, Florida (CNN)Ret. Sgt. Tom Block is sitting in the classroom, looking restless. He and 23 other highly specialized, highly coveted candidates are all vying for a job where they will be exposed to horrifying images of child sex abuse and the worst humanity has to offer. Full Article
Read MoreInternational Megan’s Law: Bad Public Policy
On Monday, February 8, 2016, President Obama signed HF 515, and it became Public Law 114-119, known casually as “International Megan’s Law” (IML). The very next day, Janice Bellucci, a civil rights attorney and President of CA-RSOL, filed a legal challenge in Federal Courts in California, citing constitutional violations of the First and Fifth Amendments, and the Ex Post Facto Clause. After careful review of the intent and apparent effect of this new Public Law, and the arguments raised in the legal challenge, it seems IML is not only unwarranted,…
Read MoreProtecting every child / Sex offenders, schools and safety / At a safe distance [UPDATED with Part 3]
Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part series regarding sex offenders and the ongoing need to protect children. PRINCETON — Illinois State Rep. Andy Skoog (D-76th) commented on the current laws surrounding registered sex offenders and the residency restriction limits they must follow as a way to cement community safety. Current Illinois legislation states a registered sex offender must remain at least 500 feet from a school, nursery, playground or essentially any place where adolescent activity might take place. Skoog agrees with the notion increasing the restriction…
Read MoreArgument preview: When a sex offender moves out of the country, does he have to tell anyone? [UPDATED]
UPDATED with Oral Argument – When ____ ____ ____, a federally convicted sex offender, left Kansas in 2012 to go live in the Philippines, one might have thought the United States government would be happy to see the back of him. Not so. Federal authorities tracked him down in Manila and escorted him back to Kansas, where he was convicted in federal district court of failing to notify Kansas authorities that he had left the state. On March 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his argument that his move…
Read MoreGoing Nowhere
On February 8, President Obama signed an unnecessary, cruel, and dangerous law. Passed by a unanimous Congress, International Megan’s Law requires the State Department to mark with a “unique identifier” the passport of anyone ever convicted in the United States of a sex crime against a minor. The offense could be sexting or consensual teen lovemaking. It could have happened decades ago or even have been expunged from the person’s record. Full Article Related HR 515 Article Collection
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