Larry Nassar Removed From Michigan Sex Offender Registry

Larry Nassar, the former sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of young female athletes, has been removed from the Michigan Sex Offender Registry following a recent court decision that reshaped how the state applies its registration law.

The Eaton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the change on Thursday, saying Nassar was among more than 20,000 people whose names were removed from the Michigan State Police database. The mass removals followed a September 9 ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court involving the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act.

In that decision, the court held that 2021 amendments to the law cannot be applied retroactively to older criminal conduct. As a result, Michigan State Police had to remove people whose underlying crimes occurred before July 1, 2011. Although Nassar was not publicly identified, arrested, or convicted until years later, the conduct tied to his convictions took place before that cutoff. Under the court’s interpretation, he is no longer legally required to appear on the public registry.

The decision prompted sharp criticism from prosecutors in Eaton County. Prosecutor Doug Lloyd said the outcome reflects a gap created by the timing of Nassar’s offenses compared with the later dates of his convictions. The prosecutor’s office also argued that the Michigan Supreme Court could have interpreted the law differently in a way that would have kept certain offenders on the public list.

In its response, the office said broader arguments about whether the registry is effective should be addressed by lawmakers in the legislature, not settled through judicial interpretation. That criticism underscores the tension between legal limits on retroactive punishment and public expectations in high-profile abuse cases.

How the ruling affects Nassar

Nassar’s removal from the registry does not alter his convictions or his prison status. It only changes whether his name must appear in the public sex offender database under Michigan law as currently interpreted by the state’s highest court.

He served as a team physician for USA Gymnastics until 2014 and for Michigan State University until 2016. The case became a national scandal after Rachael Denhollander publicly accused him in September 2016, helping expose years of abuse that had gone unchallenged.

During his January 2018 sentencing, dozens of survivors addressed the court, including Olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber. Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney later testified before Congress in September 2021 as scrutiny widened beyond Nassar himself to the institutions that failed to stop him.

At sentencing, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina called Nassar “possibly the most prolific serial child sex abuser in history.” His convictions include state sexual assault charges as well as federal child pornography charges.

No change to his incarceration

Authorities have emphasized that Nassar’s removal from the registry does not create a public safety threat because he remains in prison serving multiple lengthy sentences. Given the decades imposed in those cases, officials have said it is highly unlikely he will ever be released before his death.

Even so, his removal has drawn attention because of the scale of his crimes and the symbolic role the registry plays for many victims and members of the public. The case now stands as a prominent example of how court rulings on statutory interpretation can produce outcomes that are legally required, even when they are politically and emotionally contentious.