NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A federal lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of a Tennessee statute that made it a felony for sex offenders to live with their own young children has prompted moves by the GOP-dominant State house to amend the 2019 law.
Gov. Bill Lee had signed the bill into law to make convicted sex offenders subject to arrest if they were alone with, spent the night with, or lived with their children under age 12. But three convicted sex offenders immediately filed suit and the law never took effect last year amid the challenge.
The men – identified simply as John Doe 1, 2 and 3 – alleged the ban violated their constitutional rights because it would effectively result in their loss of parental rights without a trial. Each had completed sentences and treatment following crimes involving victims under 12.
A federal judge had initially blocked the law from taking effect. A separate judge said the lawsuit should continue to be paused – despite objection from the plaintiffs – to give the GOP-dominant Statehouse a June 30 deadline of this year for amending the law.
Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. wrote in his Feb. 18 order that pausing the lawsuit was necessary because allowing the case to move through the courts could result in “unnecessary litigation”