Johnson v. Madigan

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Johnson was convicted of rape, deviate sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping in 1983. As required by Illinois law, he registered as a sex offender for 10 years. In 2011, Illinois amended its Sex Offender Registration Act to define as a “sexual predator” a person who had been convicted of any felony offense after July 1, 2011, and had been required to register as a sex offender under a conviction that required registration for more than 10 years. When Johnson was convicted of felony theft in 2013, he became a “sexual predator,” required, for the rest of his life, to register in person several times a year and to give authorities his email address, any internet communications identity, any URL registered to him, and any new blogs or internet sites he maintains and to which he has posted. The district court dismissed Johnson’s challenge to the law. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, first rejecting a challenge to Johnson’s standing based on his move to Wisconsin. Johnson is free from most of the restrictions imposed by Illinois law, but the sexual predator classification imposed in Illinois continues to affect him even in Wisconsin. Rejecting an ex post facto challenge, the court stated that the Act does not apply retroactively; it does not change or increase the penalty for his 1983 rape conviction. View "Johnson v. Madigan" on Justia Law