NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s Supreme Court has ruled as unconstitutional a state law requiring people convicted of certain sex crimes to carry an ID card with the words “sex offender” spelled out in orange capital letters.
The 6-1 ruling Tuesday upholds a Lafayette judge’s previous decision to dismiss a charge against a man who had altered his card to remove the label.
The ruling states that forcing the man to use an ID with those words on it constitutes “compelled speech,” which violates free speech rights.