Source: nolo.com 10/24/25 Discover how some states and cities pass legislation—ranging from quirky to serious—designed to ensure a safe Halloween for all. By Ann O’Connell, Attorney UC Berkeley School of Law Updated 10/24/2025 Halloween—the one night a year when it’s socially acceptable to dress as a monster and demand candy from strangers. But before you grab your plastic pumpkin and hit the streets, you might want to check your local laws. Across America, dozens of cities and towns have ordinances that could turn innocent trick-or-treating into a criminal offense. From age restrictions…
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MO: Missouri City Reverses Position on Halloween Sign Enforcement
The City of Hazelwood, Missouri, has reversed its original position regarding enforcement of a state law declared unconstitutional by a federal district court. In letters dated October 1, 2025, and mailed to all registrants residing in that city, the Hazelwood Chief of Police stated that registrants must post a sign on their home on Halloween. “It was difficult to understand why the Hazelwood Chief of Police would make such a significant mistake,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That city, after all, is a party in the lawsuit that successfully…
Read MoreMO: Missouri City Threatens to Enforce Halloween Sign Requirement Despite Statewide Injunction
The City of Hazelwood, Missouri, has mailed letters to all registrants in that city stating that the City will enforce this year a state law that has been declared unconstitutional. That law requires registrants to post a sign on their home on Halloween. A federal district court judge issued a statewide permanent injunction on October 2, 2024, which prohibits enforcement of that state law. The Attorney General of Missouri appealed the district court judge’s decision to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and oral arguments were conducted last month. In…
Read MoreMO: Missouri defends Halloween sex offender sign requirement at Eighth Circuit
Source: courthousenews.com 9/16/25 Missouri is trying to revive a mandate for sex offenders to post a sign on Halloween stating they don’t have candy or treats at their residence after the law was blocked last October. ST. LOUIS (CN) — An Eighth Circuit judge compared a Missouri law requiring sex offenders to post signs on Halloween saying they don’t have candy to a North Dakota law requiring landowners to post signs warning if there is quicksand on their property during a hearing Tuesday challenging the sign law’s constitutionality. “In…
Read MoreAttorneys Present Arguments Regarding Missouri Halloween Sign Law Before 8th Circuit Court of Appeals
Source: ACSOL Attorneys representing Thomas Sanderson, a person required to register, and the State of Missouri formally presented oral arguments yesterday before three judges of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The focus of the oral arguments was a state law that requires all persons required to register to post a sign on their home on Halloween. During oral argument, the State of Missouri continued to assert that the sign requirement is conduct, not speech, and therefore not protected by First Amendment. The state also asserted that the sign requirement…
Read MoreMO: Court of Appeals Schedules Oral Argument in Missouri Halloween Sign Case
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals today scheduled oral argument in the Missouri Halloween sign case. The argument will take place on Tuesday, September 16, on the 28th floor of the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse located at 111 S. 10th Street, St. Louis, Missouri. The Court scheduled oral argument in a total of five cases that day beginning at 9 a.m. The Halloween sign case is listed as the second of those cases. The district court judge in this case issued a permanent statewide injunction on October 2, 2024, prohibiting…
Read MoreMO: Missouri Files Final Brief in Halloween Sign Challenge
Source: ACSOL The State of Missouri filed its final brief today in the pending federal case that challenges the state’s Halloween sign law. The next step in the litigation process is oral argument before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. No date has yet been set for oral argument, however, the parties must be provided at least 30 days prior notice. “In its brief, the State of Missouri continues to repeat its claim that the law that requires all registrants to post a sign at their residence on Halloween is…
Read MoreThe War on Halloween
Source: kenklippenstein.com 10/31/24 Halloween is a pretty extraordinary holiday. Think about it. Every year, millions of Americans knock on the doors of total strangers and accept candy from them, almost entirely without incident. For a culture as isolated and mistrustful as ours is, it’s amazing this is even possible. Halloween is a repudiation of the “See Something, Say Something” paranoia fostered by the national security state since 9/11 in particular. Small surprise, then, that these government agencies fearmonger about the holiday, never passing up a chance to ruin the fun. …
Read MoreEvery Halloween, Cops Brag About Arresting Sex Offenders. Here’s What The Arrests Were Actually For.
Source: huffpost.com 10/31/24 HuffPost obtained 37 arrest reports, the overwhelming majority of which show law enforcement officers arresting people for minor technical parole violations. Every year on Halloween, law enforcement agencies throughout the country conduct thousands of random checks on people who are required to register as sex offenders. The sweeps, called “Operation Boo,” typically result in a handful of arrests, which cops tout as evidence of their utility in protecting children from would-be predators. The press has dutifully spread this message: “For the 26th year, ‘Operation Boo’ Keeps…
Read MoreMO: Janice interviewed on TV news about Missouri sex offenders no longer having to put signs out on Halloween
Source: ksdk.com 10/29/24 ST. LOUIS — This Halloween, Missouri sex offenders won’t have to put a sign on their front door turning people away after a court decision earlier this month. Since August of 2008, registered sex offenders had to put signs on their doors on Halloween saying “No candy or treats at this residence.” Attorney Janice Bellucci represented a Hazelwood man challenging the law. “All the laws have one thing in common, which is they’re based on a myth or misunderstanding that people on the registry actually pose…
Read MoreCA: CDCR Kicks Off ‘Operation Boo’ Halloween Safety Campaign
Source: cdcr.ca.gov 10/28/24 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Halloween is fast approaching, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is helping to keep kids and families safe. Throughout the week, CDCR parole agents will be providing safety tips for trick-or-treaters via social media and as part of a comprehensive parents’ guide on our 2024 Operation Boo webpage. (Follow us on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X) THE BIGGER PICTURE: Hundreds of parole agents across the state, in collaboration with local law enforcement partners, will conduct compliance checks on sex offender supervised…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Answers to Questions are Only Stop Gap Measures
About a month ago we identified three cases for which we had not yet received an answer. As of today, we have answers to those questions, however, some of those answers have resulted in more questions. First, a federal district court in Missouri has issued its decision regarding Halloween signs. That decision was strong and clear: Halloween signs are unconstitutional. The court even granted a permanent statewide injunction that in essence prohibits law enforcement in the state of Missouri from enforcing the state law that required the Halloween signs. While…
Read MoreMO: Attorney General Files Notice of Appeal in Missouri Halloween Case
Source: ACSOL The Missouri Attorney General filed a notice of appeal today notifying a federal district court in Eastern Missouri that they will seek review of that court’s decision by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The district court’s decision permanently prohibits enforcement of a state law that requires registrants in Missouri to post a sign on their residence on Halloween. “We are not surprised that the Attorney General has filed a notice of appeal in this case,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The filing of this notice, however,…
Read MoreNothing Sums Up the Sex Offender Registry Quite Like Halloween
Source: filtermag.org 10/9/24 Since 2008, people on sex offender registries in Missouri have been required to post a sign at their home each year on October 31: No candy or treats at this residence. In a ruling issued October 2, a federal judge found the signs unconstitutional because they’re a form of “compelled speech”—when the state forces you to express a viewpoint you don’t agree with. Judge John A. Ross noted two other courts to previously address similar Halloween signs, both of which found them unconstitutional for the same reason. California overturned the requirement in 2012. Georgia…
Read MoreMO: Children’s Advocacy Center reminds parents they are responsible for their children’s safety on Halloween
Source: yahoo.com 10/7/24 ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A long-standing Missouri Halloween statute for registered sex offenders has been abolished, striking down the requirement for posting warning signs outside of their homes. Since 2008, state law mandates that offenders stay indoors, keep their lights off, and display the signs to warn trick-or-treaters. Hazelwood resident Thomas Sanderson challenged the law after he was arrested days after Halloween 2022 for having a large display and handing out candy. Sanderson claimed the law forced him to express a message he didn’t agree with.…
Read MoreMO: This Halloween, Missouri sex offenders won’t have to post warning signs outside homes
Source: webstercountycitizen.com 10/4/24 ST. LOUIS — The state of Missouri can no longer require sex offenders to post signs outside their homes on Halloween stating “No candy or treats at this residence,” a federal judge ruled this week. Hazelwood resident Thomas Sanderson filed suit last year arguing the sign requirement violated his free speech rights because it forced him to make a statement with which he didn’t agree. This week, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross agreed, finding the sign requirement was a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.…
Read MoreMO: Federal Court Grants Permanent Statewide Injunction in Missouri
Source: ACSOL A federal district court in Missouri has granted a permanent statewide injunction that prohibits the enforcement of a Halloween sign requirement in that state. As a result of this injunction registrants in Missouri will not be required to post a sign on their home on Halloween. The permanent injunction does not apply, however, to the remaining Halloween restrictions that prohibit registrants from giving candy to children, decorate or their homes or leave on porch lights that day. Any registrant who violates those prohibitions could be convicted of a…
Read MoreTX: The ‘Lights Out’ program makes trick-or-treating safer by rounding up sex offenders
Source: msn.com/KTXS Halloween is rapidly approaching and a top priority for parents is keeping their children safe. For over 20 years Taylor County has hosted a program called Lights Out to make trick-or-treating safer. “Everyone that’s on probation who is a sex offender they have to come that night from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.,” Rikki Flores said. “Doesn’t matter what day Halloween is on they are required to be here during those hours.” The licensed sexual offender treatment provider said approximated 140 sex offenders will be at the Taylor…
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