It has been eight months since the United States Supreme Court chose not to take up an Appellate Court decision saying that Michigan can’t retroactively impose its sex offender registration law on people. In essence, it meant that Michigan’s sex offender registry requirements are unconstitutional and need to be changed. But it’s been months, and the thousands of registered sex offenders who expected to have the state back off a little, haven’t seen any changes at all!
What laws did Michigan change that are unconstitutional?
In 2011, the Michigan Legislature expanded the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA). They created tiers by which to categorize offenders, and made it a legal requirement that they report in person as many as four times a year. The new laws also barred convicted sex offenders from being in certain places, like within 1,000 feet of a school. This meant that a number of previously registered sex offenders where suddenly living in violation of the new laws, despite the the fact that they had lived at those addresses for years without causing any problems.
What does the United States Supreme Court say Michigan should change?
The laws were applied retroactively, which means that they were applied to all sex offenders, including the ones who had been on the registry for years before the new rules were implemented. As a result, many registered sex offenders suddenly discovered that they were living or working in illegal proximity to a school. They were forced to move homes here in Michigan, change their jobs, and rearrange their lives. Many of them went from being able to pick up their kids at school, to not being able to come near their children’s schools at all!
The state refuses to back down on their unconstitutional law!
More than three dozen lawsuits have been filed against the state since the changes were implemented, several of which Michigan has already lost or settled. And yet there is still no sign of change in our completely unconstitutional laws. Why does the state refuse to alter a law that the U.S. Supreme Court has already refused to support? Well, the appeals court decision was applied in civil cases, not class action lawsuits. And so the state argues that those rulings only apply to the specific plaintiffs who brought them, not to all registered sex offenders.
Don’t let unconstitutional sex offender registry requirements ruin your future!
If you or a loved one have been accused of a sex crime, you are in danger of becoming a registered sex offender if you’re convicted! To protect yourself from the drastic consequences of sex offender registration, you need an experienced defense attorney who deals with this issue often enough to avoid the traps. At The Kronzek Firm, our highly skilled sex crime defense attorneys will stand up for you and work to keep you out of prison and off the sex offender registry. Call us today at 866 766 5245 (866 7No Jail) and speak to someone who can help!