Does v. Whitmer United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Case No. 22-cv-10209
Hon. Mark A. Goldsmith

What did the Court decide about reporting requirements?¹

The lawsuit alleged that various SORA reporting requirements are so unclear that neither registrants nor law enforcement know what they mean. The Court decided that some requirements are so unclear that they are unconstitutional and can’t be enforced. The Court decided that other requirements are clear enough and can be enforced.

What did the Court decide about reporting vehicles?

You do need to report all vehicles currently owned by or registered to you at the time that you are reporting. A change in the vehicles registered to you must be reported within three business days.

You do not need to report vehicles you no longer own or that are no longer registered to you at the time that you are reporting. For example, if you are reporting in 2025, you do not need to report a vehicle that you owned or that was registered to you in 2020, but that you no longer own, or is no longer registered to you.

You do need to report any other vehicles you have operated since you last reported, even if you only drove them once. For example, if you borrowed a vehicle to drive to work, you would need to report it as a vehicle that you operated. However, you do not need to report a vehicle you have driven, but that is not owned by or registered to you, within three business days. You can wait until your next report date.

You do not need to report a vehicle that you do not own or is not registered to you if you use it in a way other than driving it, such as for storage or for playing music.

What did the Court decide about reporting phones?

You do need to report phone numbers registered to you at the time that you are reporting the number. This includes:

• Your cellphone number.
• Your residential phone number if it is connected by a landline (or in some other way such that it can be used only at your residential address).
• Work phone numbers assigned to you, or a number that you provide to others as a work number where you can be reached, or if there is no such number, the main number for your workplace.

You do not need to report a former phone number you no longer have. For example, if you register in 2025, you do not need to report the cell phone number that you no longer have from 2022.

You do not need to report a phone number that is not registered to you, such as the number of a phone that you borrow.

What did the Court decide about reporting volunteer work?

You do need to report volunteer work that you perform for an organization.

You do not need to report volunteer work that is not for an organization. For example, if you shovel a neighbor’s sidewalk and are not paid for it, you do not need to report that volunteer work.

What did the Court decide about reporting employment?

You do need to report paid work of any kind, no matter how little you are paid. Any new paid work or change in paid work must be reported.You do need to report your employer’s work address.

You do need to report if you quit your job or get fired.

You do not need to report being sent to different job sites by your employer, like being sent to work at a different site or different office for the day.

You do not need to report a short-term reduction in work, like a temporary lay-off or strike.

What did the Court decide about reporting travel?

You do need to report domestic travel if you stay at one place for more than 7 consecutive days.

You do not need to report domestic travel in advance. The Court has not yet decided whether travel needs to be updated when it occurs, or can be reported at the regular report date.

You do not need to report domestic travel unless you stay at one place other than your home for more than 7 consecutive days. For example, if you spend four days at a motel in Ohio, three days at a friend’s house in Indiana and four days at a hotel in Illinois, you do not need to report it in Michigan. (You may need to report it in the state you travel to depending on that state’s laws.)

You do need to report international travel of more than 7 days, at least 21 days in advance.

What did the Court decide about reporting schooling?

You do need to report when you enroll or disenroll in an institution of higher education, such as a college, secondary school, trade school, or professional institution.

You do need to report if as part of your course of studies at a Michigan school you are present at other locations in Michigan, other states, or a U.S. territory or possession.

You do not need to report educational activities that you participate in solely through the mail or internet.

You do not need to report that you have been accepted to a school or that you are planning to attend a school.

You do not need to report enrollment in less formal programs, like a karate class. 

What did the Court decide about reporting aliases and nicknames?

You do need to report your legal name and any aliases, nicknames, ethnic or tribal names, or other names by which you are or have been known.

What did the Court decide about reporting physical descriptions?

You do need to provide your race, sex, height, weight, eye color, hair color, tattoos, and scars/birthmarks.

You do not need to provide other physical descriptors.

What did the Court decide about reporting email addresses and internet identifiers?

You do not need to report your email addresses or internet identifiers. 

¹This summary has not been approved by the Court, but is based on the parties joint understanding of the Court’s opinions. The Court’s opinions are binding - this summary is solely intended to serve as an aid to interested parties.