Hope v. Commissioner of Indiana Department of Corrections

Dist. Ct. erred in granting plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment in action alleging that Indiana Sex Offender Registration Act (Act) violated their equal protection rights by requiring that they register as sex offenders under said Act only because they have duty to register as sex offender in another jurisdiction. Record showed that plaintiffs were Indiana residents who committed sex offenses either before enactment of said Act or before amendment to said Act that covered their specific offenses. While Dist. Ct. held belief that requiring registration of pre-Act sex offenders who have registration obligations in another jurisdiction was not rationally related to legitimate state interests, Ct. of Appeals held that instant registration requirement for plaintiffs satisfied rational basis review, because State has legitimate interest in seeking to register as many sex offenders as state constitution permits, and because instant requirement is rationally related to advancing that interest.