A challenge to registrant name change prohibition pending in Federal Appellate Court.
A Seventh Circuit panel heard arguments Friday over whether a Wisconsin law barring convicted sex offenders from changing their name amounts to free speech infringement.
The underlying lawsuit was brought in Milwaukee federal court in May 2019 by Karen Krebs, a transgender woman from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who cannot change her name due to a 1992 conviction which required her to register as a sex offender. Wisconsin law makes it a Class H felony for anyone who is required to register as a sex offender to legally change their name, criminal penalties for which range up to a $10,000 fine and six years in prison. Krebs, whose forename given at birth is Kenneth, contended that her First Amendment rights are violated by being denied the ability to change her name in order to suit her identity, as she has not gone by her given name since she came out as transgender in 1999.
No way she looses.
I believe we have a similar law in Florida that criminalizes name changes of citizens forced to register. It is even a crime to alter our driver’s licenses and remove then SO designation.
4:28. There is a way she loses. If her attorney’s don’t properly research the law and apply the law to the facts of her case. This is why she lost in the district court.
The law is on her side but must be presented to the circuit court of appeals.
Everyone Own’s Their Own Personal Name
I am sure with the Correct Legalese, Not a Judge on a Bench would NOT AGREE!
The Newest Jurist, Ms Amy, would, probably, Also, agree, in Tandem!
OK, so if a female registrant marries, she’s not allowed to change her name? Or change it back if she divorces?
And the state’s argument that registrants can avoid registration by legally changing their name is absurd, shown by this case where both names are registered. It’s just denying a right for the sake of denying rights and nothing more.
Dustin
That is a good point.
This is just another notch in the “Why is the registry punishment” belt of injustice.
I am starting to (no, I already have) a feeling like we are living in Soviet Russia where they make up the rules as they go along.
Why would that be restricted to female? If a man and woman get married, can’t the man change his last name to hers? If not, I would expect that to become legal soon enough.
The criminal regimes really think that it is acceptable that if a person gets a divorce that he/she must keep the name of their ex-spouse? Wow. If that is the case, they must force that “law” onto anyone who commits any crime, right? Yes? No! Only if a crime involves SSSSSEEEEEXXXXX! GD ridiculous.
The real problem is that the criminal regimes must pretend that their Hit Lists are useful. That is the real problem. So they must always act as if the Hit Lists matter in some way and that they are legitimate and sensible. That is the real problem. So they muck around and muck around with them all the time, grasping at increasing stupid and pathetic straws. The entirety of the Hit Lists is designed for stupid people and to placate stupid people. People with brains don’t need Hit Lists.