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
Asylum Case Result #2 (Good News): German High Court Condemns Torture Used Against American Sex Offenders
Source: Just Facts Not Fear / Common Sense Laws on YouTube 2/15/24 Recently, two more asylum cases (brought by American asylum seekers), both initially denied and facing deportation, were decided by a German federal judge. We will examine the outcomes of both cases. This is the first case of the two and it solidifies Germany's stance against at least one of the torture methods that...
FL: Push to abolish sex offender registry picks up steam in Florida
Source: actionnewsjax.com 2/15/24 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are tens of thousands of people on the sex offender registry in Florida right now, but there’s a growing movement from a group pushing to abolish the public list completely. Right now, you can check the public list to see who’s on it and why. They could be your co-workers, neighbors, or a person who comes by...
ACSOL Online Meeting March 16, 2024
You are invited to join ACSOL Executive Director and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci and an ACSOL board member for our next meeting. The meeting will be held on Saturday March 16, online on Zoom beginning at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 1:00 PM Eastern, and will last at least two hours. You can use the Zoom app or you can call in using a Zoom...
Spain: TSJM denies applying ‘Yes is Yes Law’ to minor sex offender with 19-year sentence
Spain: alaskacommons.com 2/16/24 The Superior Court of Justice of Madrid (TSJM) has rejected an appeal to review a sentence imposed on a man who was found guilty of several sexual crimes against minors between 2014 and 2017. The man was sentenced to 19 years and seven days in prison by the Provincial Court of Madrid. The appellant requested a reduction in his sentence under...
TN: SB0181 Bill Would Revise Tennessee’s Decades-Old Law Targeting HIV-Positive People Convicted of Sex Work
Source: usnews.com 1/23/24 A proposal advancing in the Tennessee legislature would stop requiring lifetime registration as a violent sex offender for anyone convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee would no longer be the only U.S. state to impose a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” on anyone convicted of engaging in sex work while...
TN: HB1617 Legislation Filed For Upcoming Session Will Push For Extension On Time Sex Offenders Are Included On Sex Offender Registry In Tennessee
Source: tennesseeconservativenews.com 12/13/24 [see HB1617 for update] The Tennessee Conservative [By Kelly M. Jackson] – The new General Session is just a few weeks away, and already a flurry of bills are being filed for introduction and consideration in what will be the 114th General Assembly. One of those bills, House Bill 1617 (HB1617), sponsored by Representative Bryan Richey (R-D20-Maryville), if signed into law will...
ID: Idaho bill to extend death penalty unconstitutional, aims for US Supreme Court review
Source: idahostatesman.com 2/13/24 The Idaho House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would allow the death penalty for anyone convicted of certain sex crimes against preteen children Tuesday, even as its sponsor acknowledged that such a law would be unconstitutional. House Bill 515 is designed to challenge decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent that limited death sentences to defendants who commit murder, said Rep. Bruce...
Doctors question use of ‘excited delirium’ to explain deaths of suspects in police custody
Source: abajournal.com 2/13/24 [ACSOL note: We are posting this since this concept could be used to excuse hatred towards registrants] In October 2023, three Tacoma, Washington, police officers went on trial for the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died after he was punched, put in a chokehold and tased during a confrontation with police. In December, a jury acquitted the...
How Mandatory Minimums Perpetuate Mass Incarceration and What to Do About It
Source: sentencingproject.org 2/14/24 Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws is essential to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system. Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing laws is essential to creating a more just and equitable criminal justice system. Widespread evidence shows that mandatory minimum sentences produce substantial harm with no overall benefit to crime control.1 Determined by lawmakers rather than judges, these sentences represent a...
The problem with criminal records: Discrepancies between state reports and private-sector background checks
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley 7/23/23 Abstract of paper: Criminal records are routinely used by employers and other institutional decision-makers who rely on their presumed fidelity to evaluate applicants. We analyze criminal records for a sample of 101 people, comparing official state reports, two sources of private-sector background checks (one regulated and one unregulated by federal law), and qualitative interviews. Based on our analysis, private-sector background checks...
Editorial: Providing criminal defense is not a crime. So why do some demonize lawyers for it?
Source: latimes.com 2/13/24 Shortly after Claudine Gay stepped down as president of Harvard University last month, an interesting sidelight to her years as a university administrator emerged: As dean of the faculty of arts and sciences a few years earlier, Gay was involved in removing a law professor from his secondary role as the dean of a campus dormitory. The professor, Ronald S. Sullivan...
Arkansas Court Sets Hearing Date for Halloween Sign Challenge
Source: ACSOL The federal district court in Arkansas where a lawsuit has been filed challenging a Halloween sign requirement set a hearing in the case for May 2 at 1:30 p.m. in the fifth floor courtroom in Fayetteville. The purpose of that hearing is "to assess the pretrial needs of the case." According to the court document, the trial date for the case will...
Hungary’s president Katalin Novák stepped down after pardoning a man convicted of helping cover up sex abuse
Source: theguardian.com 2/10/24 The Hungarian president has announced her resignation over her decision to pardon a man convicted of helping cover up a sex abuse case at a children’s home as the controversy posed a challenge for Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán. The pardon decision was made last year but only caught the public’s attention over the past days after a report by the...
NC: Warning about scam involving NC sex offender registry
Source: wsoctv.com 10/11/23 CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new scam that involves someone impersonating a police officer and people on the North Carolina sex offender registry. According to the sheriff’s office, several people have reported that they were contacted by someone saying they were with the Lenoir Police Department. The person said that some sex...
VA: Alleged Predator Granny: A Life Ensnared By Virginia Sex Offender Registry
Source: legal-eagles.org 2/9/24 Recent Denial of Appeal: Tammy Lawson's Ongoing Struggle for Justice In the realm of legal battles, few narratives are as poignant as that of Tammy Lawson, whose life has been ensnared in the complexities of the justice system. Despite her unwavering innocence, Tammy's journey has been fraught with unjust consequences, the most recent being the denial of her appeal. see our...
IN: Indiana HB 1307 would mean register for life if moving to Indiana
Source: thestatehousefile.com 1/18/24 The Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee discussed several bills Wednesday, including HB 1203 and HB 1307, both of which were held for ... ... HB 1307 was authored by Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn. “The first thing that 1307 does is if a sex offender moves from another state to Indiana, they would be required to register for the entire...
TX: Texas vigilante tricked sex offender into meeting him at park – then murdered him: police
Source: foxnews.com 2/6/24 [ACSOL is posting this as a warning to members of our community] A Houston man allegedly lured a convicted sex offender to his death in what is being described as a possible case of vigilante justice. James Lewis Spencer III, 24, is charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Sean Connery Showers, 37, who was found unresponsive, lying...
Janice’s Journal: Glimmers of Hope
There are glimmers of hope on the horizon for registrants and their families. Most of that hope is based upon recent court decisions. However, one piece of hope comes in the form of a recently published newspaper article. Both will be discussed below. One form of hope comes from a recently published newspaper article about a person charged with shooting and killing another person. The headline of that...
Appellate Court Reverses Denial of Petition (Good News!)
Source: ACSOL The Second Appellate District Court today issued a decision reversing a trial judge's decision to deny a petition filed on behalf of a California person required to register. As a result of this decision, the trial court judge must grant that petition which will in turn terminate the person's requirement to register. "Today's decision is the third appellate court decision reversing a...
Action Alert for all states: Sign petition to reinstate voting rights for returning citizens
Source: Rita Finley at change.org Why this petition matters: As an American citizen, I firmly believe in the principle that every individual should have an equal right to vote. This belief is not just personal but also echoes the words of Lyndon B. Johnson who once said, "Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse...