MO- Missouri Supreme court upholds 2005 child-visitation law for sex offenders

4-14-2009 Missouri:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld a 2005 law prohibiting child sex offenders from having unsupervised visits with their children.

The unanimous ruling Tuesday reverses the decision of a Cole County judge who had struck down the law as it applied to a divorced sex offender seeking time alone with his two children.

The Supreme Court said the law did not violate a constitutional prohibition on retrospective laws by changing the child-custody provisions in place at the time of the man's divorce. The court said there is no right to be shielded from changes in child visitation laws.

Supreme Court judges also said the law did not infringe on the man's fundamental right to associate with his children. The court noted he still can have supervised visits. ..News Source.. by KPLR11.com