United State's highest court ruled that the Kansas man who was a registered sex offender will no longer be required to update his registration under a federal law act. The man was charge after he failed to re-register and notify the states that he left the country.
According to Lawrence Journal World, the court overturned the conviction of Lester Ray Nichols over his failed registration and notification based on the federal law called the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, or SORNA. The law requires convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement agencies such as "updating their name, address and places of work or school."
In order to register, the offenders are also required to make their registration in person. However, on Monday, the eight justices of the US Supreme court decided to rule unanimously that Nichols does not violate the act when he decided to leave the state of Kansas and live in the Philippines, Kake reported.
"Once Nichols moved to Manila, he was no longer required to appear in person in Kansas to update his registration, for Kansas was no longer a jurisdiction involved," a court justice in the Philippines Samuel Alito stated.
Nichols was charged after he did not make an appearance for a sex-offender treatment. US marshals came track his whereabouts and was brought back to state.
The US highest court decided to rule that he did not violate the said federal act as the Philippine government had no jurisdiction with the sex offender registration. Kansas City Star reported back in 2003 that Nichols was convicted to federal charges of engaging in interstate travel to have sex with a minor.
He was later released in December 2011 and registered under the sex offender registration and notification act. On November 2012, he left his residence in Leavenworth and moved to the Philippines. Nichols has his new residency in Manila.
