AZ: Judge rejects claim that the Arizona sex offender registry violates constitutional rights

Source: azmirror.com 11/11/25

The state is justified in tracking residencies and online identities of convicted child sex offenders, the court ruled

 

A federal judge shot down a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s sex offender registration laws, ruling that the state is justified in tracking the residencies and online identities of people convicted of crimes against children.

“It is plain that Arizona has a significant governmental interest in protecting children and preventing sex offender recidivism,” Judge Stephen McNamee wrote in a Nov. 6 order.

Two years ago, a man convicted of sexual conduct with a minor in 2016 filed a lawsuit against multiple sex offender registration statutes, arguing that they violate his free speech and due process rights. The man, who was granted anonymity by the court due to his fear of receiving threats of violence, is referred to as John Doe. He sought to nullify laws that require him to register as a sex offender for life, report any online identifiers he uses and register his residency every time he stays in a new county for three days or more. 

Online identifier reporting requirement
Under Arizona law, a person convicted of a crime against a minor must present themselves to the sheriff’s department of the county they live in to be fingerprinted and registered as a sex offender. During that time, they must also share every name they’re known by, the car they drive, if they have legal custody of a child, their address and any online identifier they use, along with every website that identifier is used on. 

Doe claimed that requiring him to share his online usernames and activity is tantamount to infringing on his freedom of speech, and said that he worried it could be used to expose his identity to the public. But McNamee rebutted that Arizona law doesn’t allow for the public disclosure of any personal information tied to the …

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Another judge who slept through law school.

Reading this makes me sad today. A federal judge with no independent thought or rational thinking. I expected more out of our court system. It feels hopeless.

Corrupt judge – can not admit the truth of constitutional rights violations.