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The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that a federal court judge in Louisiana recently struck down a state statute banning sex offenders from Facebook and other social media sites.
The judge ruled that the statute violated sex offenders’ First Amendment rights, and was so overly broad in defining “chat room” that the Court’s own website could fall under the ban. The judge noted in his opinion that the Act would essentially bar sex offenders from Internet access, apparently even after the sex offender has completed his or her registration requirements. He found the ban far exceeded its legitimate interest of protecting children and restricted sex offenders’ Internet use “for purposes completely unrelated to the activities sought to be banned.”
The statute was passed last August, at which time the ACLU filed suit challenging the Act on behalf of anonymous sex offenders.
According to the WSJ, a Facebook spokesman noted that they already ban sex offenders from using Facebook, and encourage and support any bill or statute that would help them enforce the restriction.
Apparently the Louisiana Governor called the court’s opinion “offensive,” and promised the citizens of Louisiana that he would do everything he could to protect Louisiana families, including appealing the decision to the Fifth Circuit.
What do you think of the ban? Do you think it violates an offender’s right to free speech? Do you think it is necessary to protect the significant number of underage children who use Facebook? When is enough enough in restricting offenders’ Internet use?
This is just another case of pitolical rabble rousing to curry bullshit votes. If they spent half as much energy actually treating the mentally ill persons who commit heinous sex offenses, and leave the youngsters out of the criminal courts, they would make a much safer society. Of course, a much safer society means politicians would have to find real issues to stand on.
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