Michigan police clarify Nassar not on registry due to out-of-state prison, not court ruling

Key points

• Michigan State Police stated that Nassar is not on the registry because he is currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania, not because of the Supreme Court's ruling on retroactive registration.
• The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on September 9 that the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) cannot be applied retroactively to offenses committed before July 1, 2011, leading to the removal of over 20,000 names from the database.
• The Eaton County Prosecutor’s office initially claimed Nassar was removed under the new ruling, but later issued a correction stating he was not registered because he was not domiciled in Michigan at the time of the purge.
• Nassar, who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in 2018, is currently held at the U.S. Penitentiary Lewisburg in Pennsylvania, with an earliest release date projected for 2068.
• The Michigan legislature could pass new legislation to place affected offenders back on the registry, as lawmakers lack the authority to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision.

Background

Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor, was convicted in 2018 of sexually abusing more than 150 women and girls, including Olympic gold medalists such as Simone Biles and Aly Raisman. He was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison. In July 2023, Nassar was stabbed multiple times while imprisoned. The Michigan Supreme Court’s September 9, 2026, ruling on the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) has been a focal point of debate regarding the balance between public safety and retroactive legal application.

How outlets are covering it

The Michigan State Police and the Eaton County Prosecutor’s office initially disagreed on the reason for Nassar’s absence from the registry. The state police clarified that Nassar was not removed under the SORA ruling but was not registered because he was incarcerated out of state. The Eaton County Prosecutor’s office, led by Doug Lloyd, a Republican candidate for Michigan Attorney General, initially claimed Nassar was removed under the ruling but later corrected this, stating they had not considered that Nassar was not registered due to his out-of-state incarceration. The Washington Post and USA Today reported that Nassar was among the 20,000 removed, while the Guardian and WXYZ 7 News Detroit highlighted the state police’s clarification.

Why it matters

The clarification underscores the complexities of sex offender registration laws and the impact of Supreme Court rulings on public safety. The debate over retroactive application of SORA highlights the tension between legal rights and community protection, with potential implications for how states manage sex offender registries in the future.

What to watch

The Michigan legislature may consider passing new legislation to place affected offenders back on the registry, as they lack the authority to reverse the Supreme Court’s decision. The Eaton County Prosecutor’s office has apologized for the confusion and emphasized its responsibility to provide information to victims and survivors of sexual assault. Nassar’s projected earliest release date is 2068, and he is currently held at the U.S. Penitentiary Lewisburg in Pennsylvania.