On February 14 United States District Court Judge Robert H. Cleland issued his final order in the Does II lawsuit, and he gave us essentially everything the ACLU asked for. You can learn all about it at https://www.aclumich.org/en/SORA, where among other things there is a recording of a video conference with Miriam Aukerman explaining the ruling.
A few things stand out at this point:
- The order is not yet in effect. It will likely take effect in about two and a half months, but until then you should remain compliant with the existing law.
- The legislature can decide during this waiting period whether they want to accept the order or write a new law. If they pass a new law within the time limit, the judge’s order will no longer be in force. If they don’t pass a new law the judge’s order will limit how the existing law can be enforced.
- What the order means for you depends on when your offense was, not when you were convicted or incarcerated. People whose offense was before April 12, 2011 will be off the registry completely. People whose offense was on or after this date will remain on the registry but will have fewer restrictions (no school safety zones, no registration of vehicle or internet ids).
- To help with their lobbying efforts during the waiting period the ACLU wants people who will volunteer to tell their stories to the legislature, and they also want people to tell them what their priorities are regarding a new law. Write them at intern@aclu.org.
