Barker v. Iowa Department of Public Safety

The Supreme Court vacated the decision of the court of appeals and reversed the judgment of the district court affirming the determination of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that Appellant was required to register as a sex offender for life, holding that the DPS must accept an earlier court of appeals decision regarding the length of Appellant’s sex offender registration.In 2008, Appellant pled guilty to assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. At his sentencing hearing, the district court informed Appellant that he was only required to register as a sex offender for ten years, when, in fact, Appellant was subject to lifetime registration. When Appellant was informed he was required to register for life, Appellant sought postconviction relief. In 2015, the court of appeals determined that Appellant was only required to register as a sex offender for ten years. The DPS declined to accept the court of appeals’ decision. On judicial review, the district court and court of appeals affirmed the DPS’s determination, concluding that they lacked the authority to determine the length of Appellant’s sex offender registration requirements. The Supreme Court remanded this case to the DPS, holding that the 2015 court of appeals’ decision had preclusive effect over the DPS’s determination. View "Barker v. Iowa Department of Public Safety" on Justia Law