Sex Crimes
Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored
The mere act of publishing sex ads online is enough to send most potential free speech allies scurrying for the exits.
Disabled Man on Sex Offense Registry Pardoned by Illinois Governor
Adam Nesteikis didn't even understand what he had done wrong.
This Rape Victim Wants To End the Sex Offender Registry
"A lot of people on the registry are on there for consensual behavior, things I think many people agree shouldn’t be crimes," says Meaghan Ybos, the president of Women Against Registry.
An 18-Year-Old Had Consensual Sex With a 16-Year-Old. He Went to Jail for 6 Years.
In her new book From Rage to Reason, Emily Horowitz explains what's wrong with the sex offense registry.
Federal Prison Censors Reason Issue About How Federal Prison Employed Serial Rapists
The issue was rejected because it "jeopardizes the good order and security of the institution."
Sex Crime Victim Denied $69,000 Settlement Because Cops Seized Her Abuser's Cash Through Civil Forfeiture
The outrageous case has led to calls from Congress to pass legislation curbing civil asset forfeiture.
Spousal Rape Conviction Reversed Because Lower Court Didn't Give Defendant Access to Accuser's Immigration Records
One of the defense's theories was that "the requested immigration records" might "support [the ex-wife's] motive to fabricate because claiming she was a victim of a sexual assault would provide a way to continue her legal residency in the United States without assistance from Appellant after her divorce."
Maine's Legislature Passes Bill To Partially Decriminalize Prostitution
Plus: Court rules that naked female spa can't exclude transgender women, Biden vetoes bill blocking student loan forgiveness, and more...
8 Reasons Why E. Jean Carroll Won Her Sexual Abuse and Defamation Lawsuit Against Trump
It is not hard to see why the jury concluded that the incident she described probably happened.
Sex-Trafficking Suits Against Banks That Serviced Epstein Can Proceed
Plus: American IQs may be shifting, Jack Daniel's lawsuit against dog toy maker hits SCOTUS, and more...
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
CDC Inflated Data About Teen Girls and Sexual Assault
Plus: Lack of independence could cause childhood mental health issues, Biden follows Trump playbook on TikTok, and more...
Rape Rates Go Down as Countries Legalize Prostitution, Rise With Sex Work Prohibition
Plus: States move to stop cops from lying to kids, Biden wants to raise Medicare taxes, and more...
New Lawsuit Challenges New Jersey's Lifetime Child Abuse Registry
"Lifetime registries are wrong," said the plaintiff's attorney. "They're wrong based on the science and they're wrong based on the reality that risk is not static. It is dynamic."
How SCOTUS Promoted Pernicious Myths About Sex Offender Registries
Twenty years ago, the justices deemed registration nonpunitive, accepting unsubstantiated assumptions about its benefits and blithely dismissing its costs.
Is Investigating a School Sexting Incident the Same as Possessing Child Porn? A Judge Says No.
Bradley Bass' case in Colorado says a lot about just how powerful prosecutors are.
New Data Show Prison Staff Are Rarely Held Accountable for Sexual Misconduct
Prison staff were fired in less than half of substantiated incidents of sexual misconduct between 2016 and 2018, and only faced legal consequences in 6 percent of cases.
Another Bogus 'Sex Trafficking Sting' Led by Homeland Security Agents
Plus: Everyone loves conspiracy theories, against national rent control, and more...
A Federal Judge Says the DOJ's Sex Offender Registration Rules Violate Due Process by Requiring the Impossible
Justice Department regulations threaten people with prosecution for failing to register even when their state no longer requires it.
A Modern History of 'Groomer' Politics
The social changes that paved the way for gay and trans acceptance have made pedophile acceptance less likely, not more.
Military Law Doesn't Clearly Forbid Private Masturbation With Child-Like Sex Doll
The U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals doesn't resolve whether such conduct is substantively constitutionally protected from criminal punishment, but holds that military law didn't put the defendant on notice that the conduct was illegal.
Why Is Texas Requiring a Guy Who Stole a Car To Register as a Sex Offender?
When states misuse sex-offender registries and apply them to any crime that involves a child, individual rights are abused.
Underage Girls Arrested in Florida 'Human Trafficking' Sting
Once again, policies billed as helping people coerced into prostitution wind up harming those that cops say they're trying to help.
An Iowa Jury Awards $12 Million in Damages to a Man Who Was Wrongly Imprisoned for Sexual Abuse
A former guidance counselor served six years of a 25-year sentence thanks to a public defender's incompetence.
18-Year-Old Faces Possible 70 Years in Federal Prison for Snapchat Sexting Crime
"I'm not saying my kid should get nothing," says Eric Beyer Jr.'s mother. "But to take an 18-year-old kid and put him in jail for longer than he's been alive?"
The Satanic Panic Is Back, and It's Bipartisan
Plus: Criminal sentencing before the Supreme Court, TikTok pushes back against security threat claims, and more...
SCOTUS Again Upholds Double Prosecution and Punishment for the Same Crime
Unsatisfied by the outcome of one case, the feds secured a much more severe penalty the second time around.
The DOJ Says a Man Whose Record Was Expunged Still Must Register As a Sex Offender, Which Is Impossible
A federal lawsuit argues that the department's regulations violate due process, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment.
Ninth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Claim Alleging Unconstitutional Police Mishandling of Rape Accusations
Plaintiff had shown the police cell phone messages in which she “casually discussed the sexual activity that occurred the night of the alleged rape and agreed to meet [the person she was accusing] again for a future sexual encounter,” and “told the alleged assailant that she ‘could make him lose his job’ after she discovered that he had remained active on the online dating website where they met.”
Are Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz Ignorant About Child Porn Penalties or Just Demagogic?
Even if the senators are genuinely confused, that underlines the recklessness of their attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Josh Hawley's Attack on Ketanji Brown Jackson Illustrates the Emotionalism She Criticized
The senator argues that questioning sex offender policies "endangers our children."
Ketanji Brown Jackson Explains to Lawmakers How Being a Lawyer Works
As expected, Tuesday's hearing was primarily made up of political theater.
Here Is What Ketanji Brown Jackson Said in the Harvard Law Review Article That Josh Hawley Found 'Alarming'
The Supreme Court nominee raised serious constitutional concerns about laws that punish sex offenders after they complete their sentences.
Josh Hawley Absurdly Suggests That Ketanji Brown Jackson Has a Soft Spot for 'Child Predators'
The Missouri senator's attack on the Supreme Court nominee elides crucial distinctions and ignores widespread judicial criticism of child pornography sentences.
He Spent an Extra Two Years in Prison Because He Could Not Find a Place Where He Was Legally Allowed To Live
New York's residence restrictions for sex offenders raise the question of how irrational a policy must be to fail "rational basis" review.
Cincinnati Cop Union Head Pouts Over Nixed Publicity for Gay Sex Sting
It's "about values," Sgt. Dan Hils said, while mayor's office wishes cops would focus on violent crime.
11th Circuit Says a Sheriff Violated the First Amendment by Posting Warning Signs on the Lawns of Registered Sex Offenders
Butts County, Georgia, Sheriff Gary Long cited no evidence to support his pre-Halloween stunt.
Judge Limits Discovery of Kevin Spacey's Past Romantic and Sexual Partners
“During discovery, plaintiff shall not inquire of the defendant concerning his prior sexual or romantic experiences ... with anyone unless the identity of the person ... has been disclosed by the [person] or otherwise become public, in either case in connection with a claim, published report in mainstream media, or public allegation that any such sexual or romantic experience or encounter was not in all respects consensual.”
