"federal law now requires registered sex offenders to report their anticipated dates and places of departure, arrival or return; their carrier and flight numbers for air travel; destination country and address or other contact information while there" So .these are the same requirements we must meet in order to go visit relatives in another state. With passage of International Megan's law this present Supreme court ruling becomes a mute point since International Megan's law makes all these requirements legally required for international travel also (with marking of SO passports just an added twist? Or am I looking at this wrong? And if someone moved to the Philippines do they now send US Marshals to arrest. How do/ did they enforce all this?

The International AWA requires RSO's to report leaving and returning and where going to the Feds so, as Alito says, it really makes no difference. This was just a State case that went to SCOTUS, a start maybe but i don't count it for much.
SCOTUS has repeatly ruled the list as regulatory, not punishment, unanimously, and I don't see them reversing their decision because who likes to admit they are wrong? This includes both Libturd and Repugnant.
Hope I'm wrong, But???

It seems the justices accept that the registry is an acceptable form of punishment.

"Our interpretation of the SORNA provisions at issue in this case in no way means that sex offenders will be able
to escape punishment for leaving the United States without notifying the jurisdictions in which they lived while in
this country."

If they now accept that it is punishment, they need to be convinced that it is unconstitutional. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think the ball is moving on this.

Joe - the thing that is unclear to me in this article (and I think this was part of the original case) is do you have to RENEW your registration once you move permanently? I am confused because that is what I thought this case was originally about (not whether you have to notify that you are leaving?)

Here's a good analysis of the case and the court's decision:

http://www.scotusblog.com/2016/04/opinion-analysis-news-item-the-convicted-sex-offender-wins-unanimously/?platform=hootsuite

Thank you!

"Whatever the Court decided in the case of Lester Ray Nichols, who himself has been escorted back to Kansas and is under watchful eyes, there would be virtually no future consequences. As Justice Alito put it, “We are thus reassured that our holding today is not likely to create ‘loopholes and deficiencies’ in SORNA’s nationwide sex-offender registration scheme.”

And that is how the Supreme Court came to rule unanimously in favor of a convicted sex offender. When it comes to statutes, the text is the text, and the Court will not read whole new clauses into it — at least in cases where there is a virtual guarantee that no untoward consequences will flow from standing on principle."

Hate to be negative, but this isn't exactly a win for liberty. It sounds like they only did the right thing because they knew it would have no negative effects on what they all perceive to be a problem, creating loopholes for those sex offenders who all recidivate at a frightening and high level.

it may not be a landslide victory but the wording of the statement

"...SORNA's nationwide sex-offender registration scheme."

Is very promising to me! Nationwide scheme???? LOL! It gives a little insight into his thoughts on this - sounds to me like "just the correct case" has not arrived yet ....

What is really needed is the next time we get a case to the Supreme Court we need someone the Supreme Court trusts to write an amicus brief showing the actual recidivism rates of sex offenders. The record right now is that sex offenders recidivate at frightening and high rate. We need a law school or several law schools to get together and say that is bogus and to show the court the actual rates with research. We need this brief to show that the registry can actually cause more recidivism. If we can get the actual statistics in front of the court I think we stand a much bigger chance of winning. Right now we have a court by their own words doesn't want to create loopholes for sex offenders and the record shows that sex offenders reoffend at a frightening and high rate. It's no wonder we aren't winning landslide classes--yet. I think it's possible and cannot wait to see where this goes.