Source: courthousenews.com 8/5/26
Spouses and children of offenders had argued their homes’ inclusion on the registry left them socially ostracized.
ST. LOUIS (CN) — An Eighth Circuit panel on Monday found Missouri’s public sex offender registry does not create “a permanent, inescapable badge of stigma” as argued by a group of convicted offenders and their families.
In affirming a lower court’s ruling, the three-judge panel refused to revive claims that the registry — also known as SORA — is broadly punitive and violates their constitutional rights.
“In their brief to this court, the Does do not cite a case supporting their theory that family members who are incidentally affected by Mo. SORA have a plausible constitutional claim,” Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Ralph R. Erickson, a Donald Trump appointee, wrote in the unanimous opinion.
“The Does have not pointed us to any controlling or persuasive legal authority supporting their claims or articulated any specific error in the district court’s analysis. The district court did not err when it dismissed the family members’ claims,” he wrote.
During an April hearing, Attorney Guy Hamilton-Smith argued before the panel of judges the sex offender registry creates “a permanent, inescapable badge of stigma” while attempting to revive his clients’ claims after they were dismissed by a federal judge.
The nine plaintiffs have homes listed on the registry due to a past conviction or that of a spouse or parent.
They originally sued in May 2021, arguing the registry was unfairly punitive because it serves no public safety function and hurts spouses and children.
“In particular, the children allege they were ‘shunned’ by other families and neighbors due to their parent’s status on the sex offender registry, they were harassed by fellow students, they were ‘robbed of…