SORNA – ACSOL

PA: Internet dissemination provision of SORNA II violates the federal prohibition against ex post facto laws

·October 23, 2019
·16 Comments

Summary from FAC: A Pennsylvania Appeals Court has found that the dissemination of persons who have been convicted of sexual offenses’ information on the internet (Megan’s Law) violates the ex…

General News

After Epstein death, glaring loopholes in national sex offender registry raise concerns

·August 16, 2019
·10 Comments

Amid the fallout from the death of Jeffrey Epstein – compounded by sharp questions as to why he was able to live such a lavish and unencumbered life despite being…

National

FL: Approves Database to Publish Details of People Who Pay for Sex

·May 7, 2019
·65 Comments

The Florida legislature passed legislation within the past week, Senate Bill 540 and House Bill 851, to establish a public database that tracks people convicted of, or who have pleaded…

National

PA: SORNA Registration Equal to Being “In Custody”

·February 28, 2019
·60 Comments

For a federal court to consider a habeas petition, the petitioner must be “in custody” at the time the petition is filed. Past cases have found custody to include parole…

General News

Why Should Feminists Be Against the Sex Offender Registry?

·December 22, 2018
·15 Comments

In October, the Supreme Court heard a case that was painfully ironic, considering the Kavanaugh hearings the nation had just been subjected to: a challenge to the United States’ extremely…

General News

SCOTUS: Who Gets to Define the Crime?

·December 10, 2018
·3 Comments

Agencies have to interpret statutes to carry out the work of the administrative state. But in the hands of federal prosecutors, does interpretation amount to defining the crime itself? Herman…

General News

Justice Department awards $13 million to help jurisdictions register and track sex offenders

·October 10, 2018
·9 Comments

The Office of Justice Programs’ Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) today announced awards of approximately $13 million to improve the registration and tracking of…

General News

Sex offender registry sparks Supreme Court debate over congressional powers

·October 3, 2018
·32 Comments

Supreme Court justices on Tuesday grappled with how much power Congress can pass on to federal agencies in a case that could change the way Capitol Hill legislates. Full Article…

General News

SCOTUS: Justices face nondelegation challenge to federal sex-offender registration law

·September 25, 2018
·69 Comments

Argument Preview: Congress enacted the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. One provision of SORNA created a requirementthat a convicted sex offender register with every jurisdiction in which he resides,…

General News

Registration Influenced by Racial Bias, Ohio Study Claims

·August 17, 2018
·6 Comments

The classification of sex offenders based on the risks they pose to the community following their release from prison is subject to racial bias, according to a study published in…

National

NJ: Court Stops Retroactive Application of Lifetime Registration Law

·August 9, 2018
·24 Comments

An appellate court in New Jersey has ruled that the state government cannot retroactively apply a new law that requires life-time registration to registrants who had the possibility of relief…

General News

Case Spotlight: International Travel Notification

·August 4, 2018
·104 Comments

In 2011, the Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification officially included in SORNA’s standards the obligation that jurisdictions require their registered sex offenders to provide 21 days’ notice…

National

New Civil Liberties Alliance to Supreme Court: “Don’t let the Attorney General write criminal laws”

·June 2, 2018
·26 Comments

[news-journal.com - 6/1/18] The Constitution vests all legislative powers in Congress, and thus bars Congress from splitting its authority with an unelected executive official. Nonetheless, when Congress in 2006 wrote…

National

GA: Sex offender registry problems cost the state federal funds

·May 28, 2018
·15 Comments

Shortcomings in Georgia’s sex offender registration program are going to cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grant money, according to a letter the U.S. Department of…

National

Convicted of Violating a Law that Does Not Exist

·May 25, 2018
·4 Comments

[cato.org - 5/24/18] Herman Gundy stands convicted of violating a law that, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t exist. You may recall from high school civics that the Constitution separates…

National

This Case Could Help Prevent Congress From Outsourcing Its Power

·April 22, 2018
·7 Comments

[heritage.org 3/8/18] Gundy v. United States could result in a ruling that would challenge Congress' tendency to delegate lawmaking authority to executive offices. Key takeaways: SORNA established a comprehensive system…

General News National

DOJ SMART: Case Law Updates

·April 5, 2018
·10 Comments

Through the course of the year, the SMART Office follows state and federal case law about sex offender registration and notification, tracking the latest opinions, trends and arguments. We aim to…

National

This Case Could Help Prevent Congress From Outsourcing Its Power

·March 9, 2018
·21 Comments

[dailysignal.com] How much authority can Congress give to the attorney general to effectively write the criminal laws? That’s a question the Supreme Court will address next term in a newly…