Score one for New Jersey sex offenders. The state's Supreme Court said Thursday that towns cannot put restrictions on where convicted sex offenders live once they're out of prison.
The case was built around lawsuits by three sex offenders from Cherry Hill and Galloway. Both townships passed laws banning convicted sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of places where children congregate, according the Philadelphia Inquirer. That meant areas around schools, parks, daycare centers and churches were all restricted. In Cherry Hill, it worked out in such a way that nearly the entire township was off-limits to released sex offenders.
The court upheld a ruling last year that said New Jersey's state law, known as Megan's Law, trumps any laws passed by local governments.
Megan's law requires paroled sex offenders to register with local law enforcement and then to notify authorities any time they move.
