ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Sex offenders in Maryland can’t be forced to register in the state’s sex offender registry if they committed their crimes before the database was created in 1995.
The Daily Record reports (http://bit.ly/1mQWcgK ) that the Maryland Court of Appeals noted that’s the case even though there are “federal obligations” to register them. The court says the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act includes exemptions for registrations that would be contrary to state law.
Last year, the court found that retroactive application of the state’s registry rules violated the state constitution.
Judge Clayton Greene Jr. wrote Monday for the majority that the state cannot legally accept a sex offender’s involuntary registration when the person’s registration is unconstitutional.
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