Opinion of the Court in Packingham v. North Carolina
A Social Media Prohibition for Sex Offenders Is Unconstitutional
In 2002, Petitioner Lester Gerard Packingham — then a 21-year-old college student — had sex with a 13-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a child. Because this crime qualifies as “an offense against a minor,” Petitioner was required to register as a sex offender — a status that can endure for 30 years or more. As a registered sex offender, petitioner was barred under Section 14–202.5 of North Carolina law from gaining access to commercial social networking sites. In 2010, a State court dismissed a traffic ticket against Petitioner. In response, he logged on to Facebook.com…
