State of North Carolina, Respondent
Anne Murray Middleton, Counsel of Record
In 2008 the North Carolina Legislature passed Section 202.5 of Chapter 14 of the State’s general statues, prohibiting convicted sex offenders from accessing “commercial social networking websites.” The politicians supporting the measure contended North Carolina’s existing registration requirements, such as notification of residence and workplace restriction, had proven ineffective in protecting the State’s children. Sexual predators, they argued, were using sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to meet and gather information on possible victims. According to one media report, there have been more than 1,000 arrests for violations of the law. In 2010, Lester Gerard Packingham, who had served…
