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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that photos of convicted sex offenders may be posted on the Internet, a victory for states that use the Web to warn citizens about potential predators in their neighborhoods.
In a separate ruling, the court turned back a challenge from sex offenders who argued they deserved a chance to prove they aren't dangerous to avoid having their pictures and addresses put on the Internet.
The decisions came in the Supreme Court's first review of what are known as Megan's laws. They have far-reaching implications because every state and the federal government have sex-offender registry statutes.
The laws are named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl kidnapped, raped and killed in 1994 by a convicted sex criminal who lived in her neighborhood.
The Supreme Court cases, from Alaska and Connecticut, required justices to balance the rights of offenders with the public safety interest in keeping tabs on people who may commit more sex crimes.
Read Full Story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/03/05/scotus.sex.offenders.ap/index.html
In a separate ruling, the court turned back a challenge from sex offenders who argued they deserved a chance to prove they aren't dangerous to avoid having their pictures and addresses put on the Internet.
The decisions came in the Supreme Court's first review of what are known as Megan's laws. They have far-reaching implications because every state and the federal government have sex-offender registry statutes.
The laws are named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl kidnapped, raped and killed in 1994 by a convicted sex criminal who lived in her neighborhood.
The Supreme Court cases, from Alaska and Connecticut, required justices to balance the rights of offenders with the public safety interest in keeping tabs on people who may commit more sex crimes.
Read Full Story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/03/05/scotus.sex.offenders.ap/index.html
