United States Fourth Circuit

Defendants' convictions for failing to register or update their registrations as sex offenders under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) are reversed, where SORNA's registration requirements did not apply to Defendants at the time they committed the acts giving rise to their indictments.

Appellate Information

• Argued 10/30/2008
• Decided 03/13/2009
• Published 03/13/2009

Judges

• Before KING, GREGORY, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Christine Madeleine Spurell, Office of the Federal Public Defender, Roanoke, Virginia, for Appellants.  Jennifer R. Bockhorst, Office of the United States Attorney, Abingdon, Virginia, for Appellee.   ON BRIEF:  Larry W. Shelton, Federal Public Defender, Roanoke, Virginia;  Randy V. Cargill, Nancy C. Dickenson, Assistant Federal Public Defenders, Office of the Federal Public Defender, Abingdon, Virginia, for Appellants.  Julia C. Dudley, Acting United States Attorney, Roanoke, Virginia, for Appellee.