BOISE, ID – Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that a federal district court has rejected a long-standing constitutional challenge to Idaho’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), dismissing all claims brought by individuals convicted of sex offenses and granting summary judgment in favor of the State of Idaho.
“The Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act is an important tool for protecting Idaho communities,” said Attorney General Labrador. “The registry gives parents, schools, churches, daycares, and other organizations information they can use to make informed decisions about safety. The damage caused by these crimes does not disappear when a prison sentence ends, and our responsibility to protect Idaho communities should not end there either.”
The plaintiffs challenged Idaho’s 1998 SORNA on three grounds, arguing that lifetime sex offender registration constituted additional punishment in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause, that applying the law to offenses committed before its enactment violated the Ex Post Facto Clause, and that registration requirements violated their right to the free exercise of religion.
The plaintiffs also argued that their status as registered sex offenders prevented them from serving in leadership roles within their churches or attending churches of their choice. The federal district court rejected all of the claims and ruled in favor of Attorney General Labrador.