BOISE, Idaho—A federal district court has rejected a constitutional challenge to Idaho’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, dismissing claims brought by individuals convicted of sex offenses and granting summary judgment in favor of the state.
Attorney General Raúl Labrador said the ruling preserves a law that requires qualifying offenders to register and makes certain information available to the public.
The plaintiffs challenged Idaho’s 1998 sex offender registration law on several constitutional grounds.
They argued that lifetime registration amounted to additional punishment in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause and that applying the law to offenses committed before its enactment violated the Constitution’s Ex Post Facto Clause.
The plaintiffs also argued that the registration requirements interfered with the free exercise of religion. According to the case, some plaintiffs said their status as registered sex offenders limited their ability to serve in leadership roles within churches or attend certain churches.
The federal district court rejected each of those arguments and ruled in favor of Labrador and the State of Idaho.
Labrador said the registry remains an important public-safety tool for parents, schools, churches, daycares and other organizations seeking information about registered offenders.
The ruling ends the latest stage of a long-running legal challenge to Idaho’s sex offender registration system.