On review of a court of appeals certification; affirmed 5/23/23; case activity (including briefs);
Issue:
Whether Wis. Stat. § 301.45(5)(b)1, which mandates lifetime sex-offender registration where a person has been convicted of a sex offense “on 2 or more separate occasions,” applies when a person’s only eligible convictions are entered on multiple guilty pleas in the same case.
For a complete discussion of the case, see our prior post on the certification. One additional thing to note: SCOTUS heard argument this past October in a case concerning a similar phrase in a federal statute. A decision could come any time but will almost certainly come before decision in this case. Though SCOTUS’s reading of a federal statute will not, of course, bind the Wisconsin court in reading a state statute, its decision may provide persuasive guidance on the question.
