The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) is dedicated to protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registrants and their families. In order to achieve that objective, ACSOL will educate and litigate as well as support or oppose legislation. The ACSOL website and recordings are provided as a service to registrants, registrants’ families, and others for general information only. The information on the website and in the recordings are not designed to provide legal or other advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. You should not take, or refrain from taking, action based on their content. Prior results and case studies do not guarantee a similar outcome in future representations. ACSOL accepts no responsibility for any loss or damages that may result from accessing or reliance on content on the ACSOL website and recordings and disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all liability with respect to acts or omissions made by registrants, registrants’ families and others on the basis of content on the ACSOL website.
Important News / Announcements
General News Feed
MT: Sodomy laws that labeled gay people sex offenders challenged in court
[nbcnews.com - 4/7/21] Nearly 20 years after the Supreme Court struck down laws criminalizing consensual same-sex activity, the legacy of sodomy bans is still felt across the United States. In 1993, then-18-year-old Randall Menges was charged under Idaho’s “crimes against nature” law for having sex with two 16-year-old males. All three worked and lived at Pratt Ranch, a cattle ranch in Gem County that...
TN: Judge orders state to remove men from sex offender registry
A federal judge ruled Monday that Tennessee’s sex offender registration act is unconstitutional, at least as it was applied retroactively to two offenders. The ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee affects only the two men who sued, identified in court documents as John Doe #1 and John Doe #2. “I think the ruling, while it is narrowly tailored...
MN: Minnesota House committee hears sex offender program’s request for funding
[msn.com - 4/6/21] The Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee learned more Tuesday about the proposed $17.8 million contained in Gov. Tim Walz’s bonding request for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program in St. Peter. The funding would renovate two buildings on the program’s campus, adding 30 beds to Community Preparation Services, as well as provide more programming and administrative space. Clients transferred to CPS continue...
Biden admin announces next steps in overhauling Betsy DeVos’ Title IX rules [including sexual misconduct cases]
[news.yahoo.com - 4/6/21] The Education Department announced plans Tuesday to hold a public hearing on how schools ought to handle sexual misconduct cases as the first step in a planned overhaul of Title IX regulations. In a letter released by the Education Department, the hearing is described as a chance for students, parents, school officials and advocates to weigh in before the Biden administration...
Action Alert for Florida: CALL IMMEDIATELY to oppose April 6 hearing on SB 932 (Prohibits Parental Timesharing with their minor child)
[floridaactioncommittee.org - 4/5/21] Floridians, take immediate action: email or call the senators TONIGHT or early morning before 9:30 AM Eastern on April 6. Florida Senate Bill 932 is on the Agenda to go before the Rules Committee tomorrow 04/06/21 at 9:30 am. We are calling on all members to contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee by calling and emailing them via the...
Action Alert for CA: Support for the release of Mr. Badger to San Diego County by April 9
San Diego County residents are fighting the supervised release of Douglas Badger, a 78-year-old registrant designated as a sexually violent predator, to a community in that county. A judge previously granted Mr. Badger's release from Coalinga State Hospital provided that he is able to find housing. "ACSOL requests that members of the registrant community state their support for the release of Mr. Badger to...
UK: Shanklin sex offender had cartoon-porn depicting child sex abuse
[countypress.co.uk - 4/4/21] A REGISTERED sex offender who had cartoon-pornography depicting child abuse on his hard drive has appeared in court. Hilary _______, 79, of Grange Road, Shanklin, appeared before the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Thursday. At a previous hearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on February 9, he admitted possession of a prohibited image of a child. Prosecutor, Kelly...
CA: East County neighbors angered over plan to house sex offender
[fox5sandiego.com - 4/2/21] EL CAJON, Calif. – Residents in unincorporated El Cajon are pushing back ahead of a hearing this month that could place a man convicted of multiple sexual assaults in a supervised home in their neighborhood. A hearing will be held next month to determine whether to place Douglas ____, a 78-year-old man convicted of several sexual assaults, in a supervised home...
SOHO Forum Debates the Registry
[womenagainstregistry.org - 3/31/21; Forum was 2/12/2018] Professor Emily Horowitz argues against the registry when she debates Professor Marci Hamilton. Watch the video
Volunteers needed for a study on the impacts of International Megan’s Law by April 30!
[Grace Lee - University of Utrecht, Netherlands - www.uu.nl] Has the International Megan’s Law impacted your life? Then please take part in this study. Why: The academic and policy literature on International Megan’s Law (IML) is missing the voices of those whose mobility is impacted. This study will add a qualitative analysis of lived experiences to the debate about disproportionate systems of punishment and...
MN: Apple Valley settles lawsuit over sex offender residency
[hometownsource.com - 4/1/21] The city of Apple Valley has agreed to settle a class action federal lawsuit filed in 2020 that challenges the constitutionality of a 2017 city ordinance that limits where some sex offenders can live in the community. The Apple Valley City Council, without discussion, approved a settlement agreement as part of the consent agenda during its March 25 meeting. According to...
NY: Town of Rotterdam, police department face lawsuit over arrest
[dailygazette.com - 3/31/21] A man who was falsely arrested by the Rotterdam Police Department for improperly submitting a photo for the sex offender registry list is now suing the department and the town over the four days he spent in jail. William Harwood filed paperwork March 25 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York seeking a jury trial and damages...
MN: What last week’s Supreme Court ruling actually said — and didn’t say — about sexual assault and drinking in Minnesota
[minnpost.com - 4/1/21] A 20-year-old woman was standing outside a Dinkytown bar in May 2017 when a man, along with his male cousin and another male friend, invited her and her friend to a party. They agreed, and the man drove them to a house. But when they arrived, there was no party. After arriving at the house, the woman — who had been...
Study: When parole, probation officers choose empathy, returns to jail decline
[lakeconews.com - 4/1/21] Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders’ likelihood of landing back behind bars. On a more hopeful note, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that nonjudgmental empathy training helps court-ordered supervision officers feel more emotionally connected to their clients and, arguably, better able to deter...
NY: 7-year-old charged with rape, lawyer calls it ‘absurd’
[wwnytv.com - 3/29/21] BRASHER FALLS, N.Y. (WWNY) - A 7-year-old boy from Brasher Falls has been charged with rape. State police didn’t release much information, but said the unidentified child was charged with third-degree rape on March 23. Troopers say the incident was reported on Thanksgiving. The child was cited and released. The case will be handled in Family Court. Police say the investigation...
General Comments April 2021
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of April 2021. Contributions should relate to the cause and goals of this organization and please, keep it courteous and civil. This section is not intended for posting links to news articles without additional relevant comment.
CA: Sexually Violent Predator Must Move Out Of Napa, Court Rules
[patch.com - 3/30/21] NAPA COUNTY, CA — As a result of a hearing Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, a convicted sexually violent predator living in Napa County must be transferred to San Francisco County, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced in a news release. Charles Leroy _____, 76, was released in September 2020 to live at 4018 E. 3rd Ave. in Napa...
FL: Whatever happened to the “Solicitation for Prostitution Registry”?
[floridaactioncommittee.org - 3/29/21] in 2019, the Florida Legislature passed a Bill sponsored by Senator Lauren Book (SB 540) that was titled “Human Trafficking”. ... The Bill passed and was signed into law, creating Florida Statute 943.0433, the “Solicitation for Prostitution Registry”. Individuals who committed the offense(s) on or after January 1, 2021 and are convicted (regardless of adjudication) on or after January 1, 2021...
FL: Volusia County residents mistakenly get text alert about sex offender moving in nearby
[clickorlando.com - 3/30/21] Text should have only been sent to certain DeLand residents Parker Lee Sharpley (Volusia County Sheriff's Office) VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Many Volusia County residents received a text alert Tuesday afternoon telling them that a sex offender had moved in nearby but for most of them, that wasn’t actually the case. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the message about Parker...
MT: Federal judge to rule on sex offender registration for ‘gay sex’ convictions
[kpvi.com - 3/30/21] The Montana Attorney General’s Office opposed removing a former Missoula man from the state’s sexual offender registry despite evidence he was designated a sex offender because he had consensual “gay sex” when he was 18 years old. At a trial held Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen, Assistant Attorney General Hannah Tokerud argued the case did not hinge...