A New Jersey judge has struck down an ordinance that limited where registered sex offenders could live, says the Philadelphia Inquirer. It is the second such municipal law to be voided in New Jersey in the last two months. About 45 municipalities have enacted laws similar to Cherry Hill’s 2005 ordinance that was challenged in the new case. It banned registered sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of any school, park, church, or other place “where children might congregate.” Said Judge John McNeil: “We can’t have potentially hundreds of municipalities around the state creating a hodgepodge mosaic of ordinances in an area that clearly must have a carefully crafted detailed framework.”
Cherry Hill officials were considering an appeal. “I frankly cannot understand why the state courts would not support our township’s efforts to safeguard our kids,” said Mayor Bernie Platt. “It seems to me that if this community wants to draw a line in the sand, we ought to be able to do that.”