National Briefing | South: Georgia: Sex Offenders Sue Over Church Ban

Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit claiming that a tough new state law that bans them from volunteering at churches also robs them of their right to participate in religious worship. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Rome, says the law effectively “criminalizes fundamental religious activities” for sex offenders and bars them from serving as a choir member, a secretary, an accountant or in any other role with a religious organization. It is the latest of a growing list of legal challenges to Georgia’s sex offender statute, which was hailed by supporters in 2006 as one of the toughest in the nation but has since been the focus of lawsuits contending that it is far too restrictive. The main part of the measure bans sex offenders from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of just about anywhere children gather. The original version of the law banned sex offenders from working at churches, but when it was retooled this year supporters added a provision also banning them from volunteering at houses of worship. Doing so could risk a penalty of 10 to 30 years in prison.