More than 20,000 convicted sex offenders removed from state’s sex offender registry. Here’s why

LANSING, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) - Thousands of convicted sex offenders have been removed from Michigan’s sex offender registry

According to the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the removals follow a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that determined that those who committed sex offenses prior to July 2011 would not be required to comply with the state’s current sex offender registry law.

The unanimous ruling, issued Sept. 9, said Michigan violated both the U.S. and Michigan constitutions by requiring those registrants to comply with rules that didn’t exist when they committed their offenses.

“You cannot add new punishments for crimes that were committed before the punishment was enacted,” Brendan Beery, a professor at Cooley Law School, said regarding the ruling.

At the time of the ruling, roughly 43,000 people were actively registered or required to register under Michigan’s sex offender registry, according to Michigan State Police.

Michigan authorities said more than 20,000 convicted sex offenders have since been removed to comply with the court’s order.

This week, Eaton County prosecutors shared more information on those who have been removed, including Larry Nassar, a disgraced former sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of female athletes.

“The Michigan Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate SORA requirements for these offenders is deeply concerning,” the Eaton County attorney’s office shared in the post. “Our community, along with the victims of these crimes, expected the registry to provide a measure of protection and awareness.”

Nassar was tried in Eaton and Ingham counties, ultimately pleading guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving minors in Ingham County and three counts in Eaton County.

He was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in state prison for the Ingham County charges and an additional 40 to 125 years for the charges in Eaton County.

Nassar, now 63, also previously pleaded guilty to child pornography charges at the federal level and received an additional 60-year sentence.

Beery said when the ruling first came down that it’s possible the state could appeal it, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court, since the decision rests partly on the federal Constitution.

He noted, however, that the U.S. Supreme Court previously declined to review a similar challenge tied to the court’s 2021 ruling, making a successful appeal less likely.