Ga. sex offenders challenge church volunteer ban

ATLANTA -- Five sex offenders filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming that a tough new Georgia law that bans them from volunteering at churches also robs them of their right to participate in religious worship. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rome, claims the Georgia law effectively "criminalizes fundamental religious activities" for sex offenders and bars them from serving as a choir member, secretary, accountant or any other role with a religious organization. "Even helping a pastor with Bible study or preparing a meal in a church kitchen will subject (sex offenders) to prosecution and imprisonment," the complaint said. It is the latest of a growing list of legal challenges targeting Georgia's strict sex offender statute, which was hailed by supporters in 2006 as one of the toughest in the nation but has since been... [read full story]