Whether 42 U.S.C. § 16913(a) requires a sex offender who resides in a foreign country to update his registration in the jurisdiction where he formerly resided, a question that divides the courts of appeals.

11-8-15 Washington DC:

See also: U.S. Supreme Court will hear Kansas sex offender case

UPDATE 11-13-15: A vey interesting question, the answer is NO (U.S. v Lundsford), they do not have to update their former jurisdiction with their new address in a foreign country. ex: Suppose someone moved to Germany (a foreign country, but not a Jurisdiction defined in SORNA), study the following current wording of SORNA.

16913(a) IN GENERAL.—A sex offender shall register, and keep the registration current, in each jurisdiction where the offender resides, where the offender is an employee, and where the offender is a student. For initial registration purposes only, a sex offender shall also register in the jurisdiction in which convicted if such jurisdiction is different from the jurisdiction of residence.

16911(10) JURISDICTION.—The term ‘‘jurisdiction’’ means any of the following: (A) A State. (B) The District of Columbia. (C) The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. (D) Guam. (E) American Samoa. (F) The Northern Mariana Islands. (G) The United States Virgin Islands. (H) To the extent provided and subject to the requirements of section 127, a federally recognized Indian tribe.

CASE: Nichols v. United States

ISSUE: Whether 42 U.S.C. § 16913(a) requires a sex offender who resides in a foreign country to update his registration in the jurisdiction where he formerly resided, a question that divides the courts of appeals.

Docket No.: 15-5238

Op. Below: 10th Cir.

..Source.. SCOTUS Blog