{"argument_date":"2002-11-13T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2002-11-13T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","paragraphs":["Mr. Olson stated that Congress and state legislatures agree citizens need access to offender information.","Mr. Thompson argued the Alaska Act imposes punishment because it has three classic punitive features.","Mr. Roberts explained that the law makes truthful information available to help protect the public."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 13-17"}]}],"caption":"Smith v. Doe","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:31.941262Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"the sides that brought the case claim the registration act is a criminal penalty. The State argues it is a civil safety measure.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2002-11-13T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2002","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/01-729.html","primary_docket":"01-729","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T16:41:37.370789Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["The case tests whether a state registration law functions as a criminal punishment."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on November 13, 2002."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case want the Court to classify the registration law as a criminal punishment.","The State wants the Court to classify the registration law as a civil safety measure."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the sides that brought the case argue the law imposes punishment through three classic punitive features.","The State argues the law provides truthful information to protect the public."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Does the registration law possess features that define it as punishment?","Does the law serve a civil regulatory purpose rather than a punitive one?"],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 13-17"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["The classification determines whether the law triggers specific constitutional protections for offenders."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 54, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 54, lines 13-17"}]}],"slug":"2002-01-729-smith-v-doe","term":"2002","title":"Does Alaska's sex offender registration law count as punishment?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 23-49","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 23-49"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 25, lines 37-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 25, lines 37-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2002/01-729.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-7"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}