Reforming Florida’s Sex Offender Registry Laws
In 2018, the United States Supreme Court found itself at the center of a cultural firestorm. A Colorado baker had declined to create a custom wedding cake for a same-sex couple, citing his religious beliefs. The case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, was watched closely across the nation. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor
Read moreA registered sex offender in Allegan County said he could not stay silent about the strangers who showed up at his home early Sunday morning. “I thought, ‘You know what? I’m gonna reach out to you guys because … if I don’t do something, (what if) somebody else loses their life because I didn’t take action?’ the husband and father
Read moreWhen Florida added “public swimming pools” to its growing list of restricted locations we warned it would create a domino effect. History shows that once a new registry restriction is adopted in one state, it often spreads elsewhere. That appears to be happening now. This week, the City Council of Lufkin, Texas approved a new residency restriction ordinance creating “child
Read moreOn June 9, 2026, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case asks a simple but important question: What exactly is a “place of employment”? The case involves a registrant who worked for a cleaning company and was assigned to various job sites as part of his employment. Although he reported his employer, prosecutors argued that a
Read moreIn Commonwealth v. Richard Cox, the Circuit Court of Arlington County struck down Virginia’s sex-offender “loitering” statute as unconstitutionally vague, reinforcing a fundamental principle that is often forgotten when laws target registrants: constitutional protections apply to everyone. The Virginia law made it a felony for certain individuals on the sex offender registry to “loiter” within 100 feet of schools and
Read moreA great decision came out of the Michigan Supreme Court last week! Gary Shaver was convicted of sex offenses as a juvenile in 2004. At that time, Michigan’s sex offender registration law (SORA) required him to report address changes within 10 days. Years later, Michigan significantly expanded SORA in 2011. The new law imposed much stricter requirements, including requiring address
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