The state of New Mexico is weighing an appeal in a case affecting sex offenders who live in Indian Country.

On June 4, the New Mexico Court of Appeals said three Navajo Nation men who live and work within reservation boundaries do not have to register with the state. The tribe is in the process of developing its own registry under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

The ruling could affect as many as 50 sex offenders with addresses on the reservation, The Farmington Daily Times reported. "We have a significant amount of sex offenders here," Clifford Jack, the educator and group facilitator for the Shiprock Home for Women and Children, told the paper.

Get the Story:
AG unsure on possible appeal to sex offender ruling (The Farmington Daily Times 6/24)

NM Court of Appeals Decision:
New Mexico v. Arnold Atcitty, Norman Jim, and Michael Billy (June 4, 2009)

Related Stories:
State court blocks sex offender law in Indian Country (6/8)
DOJ extends deadline for Adam Walsh implementation (6/4)