Opinion ID: 2056690
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Introduction to Ex Post Facto Analysis

Text: [¶ 26] Letalien contends that the retroactive application of SORNA of 1999 violates the prohibitions against ex post facto laws found in both the United States and Maine Constitutions because SORNA of 1999's registration and notification provisions, which were not in effect at the time of his conviction or sentencing, render the punishment for his crime more burdensome. The State contends, in part, that the retroactive application of the law to Letalien, involving, among other things, his inclusion in Maine's Internet registry, does not violate ex post facto or due process protections under the Supreme Court's decisions in Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84, 123 S.Ct. 1140, 155 L.Ed.2d 164 (2003), and Connecticut Department of Public Safety v. Doe, 538 U.S. 1, 123 S.Ct. 1160, 155 L.Ed.2d 98 (2003); that the retroactive application of SORNA's quarterly in-person verification requirement was previously determined constitutional by this Court in Haskell, 2001 ME 154, 784 A.2d 4; and that we should reconsider and overrule our decision in Doe, 2007 ME 139, ¶¶ 21-37, 932 A.2d at 558-63, which treated a due process challenge to SORNA as an ex post facto challenge and remanded the case for an evaluation of the statute on an as-applied basis. [¶ 27] The current version of SORNA of 1999 is a result of over eighteen years of legislative efforts to develop and refine an effective process for the registration of sex offenders in Maine. Those careful legislative efforts to improve the law in order to achieve public safety, consistent with constitutional requirements, are continuing. This year, the Legislature again amended SORNA of 1999 and related statutes, P.L. 2009, ch. 365, §§ A-1 to B-22 (effective Sept. 12, 2009), to address concerns about application of the law to offenses committed between 1988 and 1992, before SORA of 1991 was in effect. [¶ 28] The current SORNA of 1999 divides registrants into two categories: ten-year registrants and lifetime registrants. 34-A M.R.S. § 11203(5), (8) (2008). Ten-year registrants are those convicted and sentenced for committing a [s]ex offense defined by statute as encompassing certain offenses. 34-A M.R.S. § 11203(5), (6)(B) (2008). Lifetime registrants are those convicted and sentenced for committing either a [s]exually violent offense, which is also defined by statute as encompassing certain offenses, or a [s]ex offense when the person has a prior conviction for or an attempt to commit an offense that includes the essential elements of a sex offense or sexually violent offense. 34-A M.R.S. § 11203(7), (8) (2008). As previously noted, SORNA does not allow for a waiver of its requirements, nor does it condition an offender's duty to register or verify on an individualized determination of the offender's risk of re-offending; rather, its requirements are mandatory and attach strictly as a consequence of the conviction of a crime identified by the statute. 34-A M.R.S. §§ 11203(5)-(8), 11222 (2008). In contrast to ten-year registrants, who must verify their information once annually, lifetime registrants must verify their registration information in person every ninety days and within five days of receipt of a verification request from the local law enforcement agency. [7] 34-A M.R.S. § 11222(4)(C) (2008). [¶ 29] As we have already noted, the protection offered by the ex post facto clause of the Maine Constitution is co-extensive with that of the United States Constitution. [8] See, e.g., Doe, 2007 ME 139, ¶ 26 n. 6, 932 A.2d at 560; Haskell, 2001 ME 154, ¶ 6 n. 5, 784 A.2d at 8; Chapman, 685 A.2d at 424-25; Joubert, 603 A.2d at 868-69; State v. Vainio, 466 A.2d 471, 475-76 (Me.1983); State v. Myrick, 436 A.2d 379, 382-83 (Me.1981). In both Haskell, 2001 ME 154, ¶¶ 8-22, 784 A.2d at 8-16, and Doe, 2007 ME 139, ¶¶ 22-28, 932 A.2d at 559-61, we analyzed SORNA of 1999 following the two-step intent/effects test employed by the United States Supreme Court in Smith, 538 U.S. at 92, 123 S.Ct. 1140, and Hudson v. United States, 522 U.S. 93, 99, 118 S.Ct. 488, 139 L.Ed.2d 450 (1997). Having concluded that SORNA was intended to be a civil, regulatory statute, we next applied the seven factors set forth in Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez, 372 U.S. 144, 168-69, 83 S.Ct. 554, 9 L.Ed.2d 644 (1963), to determine whether, notwithstanding the Legislature's civil intent, it has been established by clearest proof that the effects of SORNA of 1999 are so punitive as to overcome the civil characterization. Doe, 2007 ME 139, ¶¶ 24, 27-28, 932 A.2d at 560-61; Haskell, 2001 ME 154, ¶¶ 12-13, 784 A.2d at 10-11. [¶ 30] In light of the considerable deference we afford to the Legislature's express statement that SORNA of 1999 is intended to protect the public from potentially dangerous registrants by enhancing access to information concerning those registrants, 34-A M.R.S. § 11201 (2008), and because the Legislature has placed SORNA of 1999 entirely outside of the Criminal Code, we find no reason to depart from our prior decisions that determined that the law was intended by the Legislature to be a civil regulatory statute. See State v. Cosgro, 2008 ME 64, ¶ 3 n. 1, 945 A.2d 1221, 1223; Doe, 2007 ME 139, ¶ 27, 932 A.2d at 560; Haskell, 2001 ME 154, ¶ 12, 784 A.2d at 10. Accordingly, we direct our focus to the second step of the inquiry and examine SORNA's effects.