The American Civil Liberties Union is filing the federal class-action lawsuit against Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan State Police, and those that manage and enforce the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

The ACLU filed the suit on behalf of 10 people who all previously won federal court rulings that the state's Sex Offenders Registration Act is unconstitutional. It's the fourth federal lawsuit the civil rights organization has filed challenging it in the past decade.

The federal courts and the Michigan Supreme Court have repeatedly ruled that the earlier version was unconstitutional.

Those filing claim the registry is counter-productive: because registration makes it more difficult for people to find housing, employment and family support, claiming the registry makes the public less safe.

Michigan has one of the largest registries in the country; there are approximately 45,000 Michigan registrants, and almost 10,000 more who live out of state.