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
Janice's Journal
General News Feed
FL: Florida Ban on “Depict[ing] or Simulat[ing] … Lewd Conduct” in Performances Where Children Are Present Struck Down
Source: reason.com 5/13/25 A short excerpt from the long opinion today in HM Florida-ORL, LLC v. Governor, decided by Judge Robin Rosenbaum, joined by Judge Nancy Abudu: Justice Potter Stewart famously offered a non-definition of obscenity: "I know it when I see it." Jacobellis v. Ohio (Stewart, J., concurring). Many know Justice Stewart's quip. But it's not, in fact, the law. The Constitution demands specificity when the...
Indian student arrested in US, conned elderly couple of $50K with child-porn ruse
Source: indiatoday.in 5/13/25 An Indian student in the US who scammed a Michigan couple of $50,000 by claiming their credit card was used to purchase child pornography, was arrested. The police suspect the money has been routed to India. This is the fourth such arrest in three weeks, as Indian students have been arrested for targeting elderly Americans in fraud schemes. Read the full...
WI: Lake Geneva repeals sex offender ordinance that has been deemed unconstitutional
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, City Council members have repealed an ordinance which prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a child safety zone because it was found to be unconstitutional. No link to available free news exists
Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-led Nationwide Crackdown
Source: justice.gov 5/12/25 May 12, 2025 – Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days...
GOP Senator Introduces Bill to Make All Porn a Federal Crime, Following Project 2025 Playbook
Source: gizmodo.com 5/12/25 'Mike Lee wants to deliver a death knell to PornHub. Last year, the rightwing think-tank the Heritage Foundation launched Project 2025, which laid out much of the policy blueprint for the current Trump administration. One of the project’s espoused goals was to permanently criminalize all pornography. Now, a Republican senator with kind words for Trump has introduced a bill that would do just that. Senator Mike...
Which U.S. ZIP Codes Have the Most Registered Prior Sex Offenders per Capita?
Source gelmanlawfirm.com Public discussion about registered prior sex offenders often sparks strong opinions, but the reality is more complex than many people realize. The United States maintains one of the most stringent registry systems in the world, with an estimated 800,000 individuals. While the registry is intended to support law enforcement and promote transparency, it is important to understand the legal, social, and economic context behind...
CO: Longmont weighs ‘arbitrary’ sex offender residency restrictions
Source: boulderweekly.com 5/7/25 UPDATE 9/18/25: Related link: Longmont City Council Passes 500 Foot Residential Setbacks For Sex Offenders; Limits 3 Per Household (this matter will be readdressed later in the calendar year by the council, it is important) Data shows little efficacy for an approach that could open the door to lawsuits A weeks-long effort to create legislation that will limit where...
WA: Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests for Following New State Law
The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated. The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and...
I Saw a Neighbor on the Sex-Offense Registry. Should I Tell Others?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether to disclose information about a neighbor on the sex-offense registry. I recently reneged on an offer to buy a house because I discovered that a registered person lived across the street. I found this information on a public website that is available for our state and county. This discovery raised many questions for me. First, the sales contract...
Former teacher of the year sentenced for sex crimes with students
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A San Diego judge sentenced former ‘teacher of the year’ ____ to 30 years to life of prison Friday. ____ broke down in tears as she read a prepared statement in a Chula Vista courtroom, admitting to sex crimes against two former students at Lincoln Acres Elementary School in National City “I shamed the title of teacher,” she said, sobbing...
Explaining Male Sex Offender Recidivism: Accounting for Differences in Correctional Supervision
Abstract Purpose: Contrary to public opinion, empirical studies have consistently shown that persons convicted of a sexual offense (PCSO) are less likely to recidivate with a general offense. While researchers often point toward the surreptitiousness of sexual offending to explain low rates of recidivism, this paper tests a novel explanation: SOs recidivate at lower rates than persons convicted of a non-sexual offense (PCNSO) because...
CA: The Financial Fallout Over Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuits in California
Source: nytimes.com 5/9/25 The law set off a wave of child sex abuse litigation that has pushed some public institutions to the brink of financial crisis. School districts face up to $3 billion in claims. In 2018, an anonymous tip led the authorities in California to Eric Uller, who for decades had volunteered at an after-school program associated with the Santa Monica Police Department....
Survey Responses Suggest Few U.S. Jails Use Screenings and Assessments for Behavioral Health Diversion
Just 33% of facilities queried said they deploy these tools to divert people with substance use and mental health issues to non-jail settings By: Alexandra Duncan & Julie Wertheimer A survey of administrators at U.S. jails shows that only about one-third of facilities use information from behavioral health screening and assessment tools to divert people from jail. Most facilities do conduct screenings and assessments, but few use...
A Critical Assessment of the First Step Act’s Recidivism-Reduction Measures
ABSTRACT The First Step Act of 2018 ("FSA") is the most impactful federal sentencing reform of the past 40 years. While the Act represents a partial resurgence of the rehabilitative model of imprisonment, which had fallen out of favor decades before, it also represents a missed opportunity to fully integrate evidence-based rehabilitation programs for those offenders who pose the greatest risks to public safety....
CA: Sex Trafficking Fight Erupts Over Punishment for Soliciting Minors
Democrats did the right thing, got attacked for it, then caved. Elizabeth Nolan Brown It's rare to see politicians of any stripe fight against sex-trafficking overreach—or any tough-on-crime gestures, really. In California, Democrats have been finding out what happens when you do. After pushing back somewhat against an overly carceral bill targeting prostitution customers, they were tarred by Republicans as having voted "to protect...
A law seeks to protect children from sex offenders − 20 years later, the jury is still out
Source: theconversation.com Before his sentencing in March 2025, a convicted child rapist asked for a judgment that would have set him free in 2027. The Kansas resident received 25 years with no chance of parole. The reason? Jessica’s Law, which Kansas lawmakers passed in 2006. Kansas was one of the first states to follow Florida’s initial enactment of Jessica’s Law 20 years ago in response to the rape...
CA: In a break from other Democrats on AB 379, Newsom says soliciting older minors for sex should be a felony
Source: yahoo.com 4/29/25 Democrats in the California Legislature drew national attention this week when they refused to advance legislation that sought to increase the punishment to a potential felony for soliciting a 16- or 17-year-old for sex, inspiring a rare public rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The move by lawmakers to strip the felony charge from the bill created a firestorm of criticism on...
General Comments May 2025
Comments that are not specific to a certain post should go here, for the month of May 2025. 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. Other months General Comments
Janice’s Journal: Registrants Have Rights
Registrants have rights. Rights that are protected by the U.S. Constitution as well as state constitutions. This fact is often overlooked or misunderstood. For example, a police officer recently told me that it was lawful that he and a fellow officer climbed over a four-foot locked gate outside a registrant’s home and then used a public address system to identify a registrant during a...
ACSOL In-Person Meeting in Pasadena on June 7, 2025
ACSOL will conduct an in person meeting in Pasadena: Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m Flintridge Retreat Center 236 West Mountain Street Suite 117, Pasadena CA There is no cost to attend the meeting which will include discussions of interest to registrants and their families including the Tiered Registry Law, domestic and overseas travel as well as the pending lawsuit that challenges SORNA regulations. ...