Legg v. Dept. of Justice

Petitioner Robert Legg pleaded guilty to committing a lewd act upon a 14- or 15-year-old child, a conviction that required him to register as a sex offender for life. A subsequent amendment to Penal Code section 290 created a tiered registry for adult sex offenders, requiring a minimum registration period for some offenses and lifetime registration for others; petitioner’s offense continued to require lifetime registration. Petitioner sought a writ of mandate at the trial court, claiming that his lifetime registration requirement denied him equal protection of the laws. The trial court denied the petition, and he appealed. Finding no reversible error, the Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court.