Credit: zulfiska/Adobe Stock State Law Requiring Sex Offenders Display 'No Candy or Treats at This Residence' Sign Deemed Unconstitutional
"Defendants require the use of private property to reflect their own message 'for the express purpose that it be observed and read by the public,' thereby depriving registered offenders of their freedom to speak in their own words or to not speak at all," wrote U.S. District Judge John A. Ross for the Eastern District of Missouri.
October 03, 2024 at 04:23 PM
4 minute read
Tossing out a "Halloween statute" requirement for registered sex offenders, a federal judge in Missouri determined requiring offenders to feature a sign on their residence on Halloween stating "no candy or treats at this residence," violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In an Oct. 2 opinion, U.S. District Judge John A. Ross for the Eastern District of Missouri granted the plaintiff, Thomas L. Sanderson's motion for declaratory and permanent injunctive relief against the state of Missouri, in arguing that the state's statute requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign on their residence on the Oct. 31 holiday, stating, "No candy or treats a this residence," constitutes compelled speech in violation of the First Amendment.
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