Without giving reasons, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear the appeal of Lester Packingham. \u00a0Packingham was\u00a0convicted in\u00a0North Carolina on of two counts of statutory rape for having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. He later pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a child. \u00a0He was placed on the state\u2019s sex offender registry.<\/p>\n
In North Carolina law, \u00a0it’s a Class I felony for a registered sex offender to access any social media site that minor children are permitted\u00a0to access. \u00a0Packingham will argue the ban violates his rights to free speech under the First Amendment.<\/p>\n
A\u00a0North Carolina police officer discovered Packingham had a Facebook account under a different\u00a0name. \u00a0\u00a0A post was found where Packingham thanked God and Jesus for the fact he had beaten a traffic ticket. \u00a0Because of\u00a0that post, Packingham was charged for accessing social media and was found guilty by a jury. \u00a0He received\u00a0a suspended sentence and was placed on probation.<\/p>\n
Packingham petitioned\u00a0the North Carolina Court of Appeals. \u00a0In 2013, that court vacated the conviction, finding the North Carolina law was unconstitutional. \u00a0The appellate court ruled the law was vague, arbitrary, and prohibited communications by\u00a0registered sex offenders that were totally unrelated to the goal of protecting minors. \u00a0The state appealed.<\/p>\n
In 2015, the North Carolina Supreme Court allowed the appeal and restored the conviction.<\/p>\n
In March 2016, Packingham filed with the Supreme Court of the United States. In the petition, he\u00a0argues he risks punishment for communicating something that does not have to be proven to be harmful. \u00a0He claims\u00a0the law not only prohibits him from using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it includes\u00a0other sites where people, including minors, are allowed to post comments.<\/p>\n
The case is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court in early 2017 and the decision likely handed down\u00a0before the end of the court\u2019s term in June.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"