S.C. v. Juvenile Officer, SC 95049

Decision Date10 November 2015
Docket NumberNo. SC 95049,SC 95049
Citation474 S.W.3d 160
Parties In the Interest of S.C., Appellant, v. Juvenile Officer, Respondent, and Missouri Attorney General, Intervenor.
CourtMissouri Supreme Court

474 S.W.3d 160

In the Interest of S.C., Appellant,
v.
Juvenile Officer, Respondent,
and
Missouri Attorney General, Intervenor.

No. SC 95049

Supreme Court of Missouri, en banc .

Opinion issued November 10, 2015


S.C. was represented by Patricia Harrison and several students certified under Rule 13 to appear in court and provide legal assistance in certain circumstances and under the supervision of a licensed attorney—Srishti Miglani, Katherine Otting, Daniel Primm, Elizabeth McQuage and Lauren Rodriguez—of the Saint Louis University Law Clinic in St. Louis, (314) 977-2778; and Jeffrey Estes of the public defender's office in St. Louis, (314) 340-7625.

The juvenile officer was represented by Laura Harrold of St. Louis, (314) 552-2104.

The attorney general, who intervened in the case, was represented by Deputy Solicitor General Jeremiah J. Morgan and Matthew J. Laudano of the attorney general's office in Jefferson City, (573) 751-3321.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri Foundation and Children's Law Center, which filed a brief as friends of the Court, were represented by Anthony E. Rothert and Andrew McNulty of the ACLU of Missouri Foundation in St. Louis, (314) 652-3114, and Gillian R. Wilcox of the ACLU of Missouri Foundation in Kansas City, (816) 470-9933.

GEORGE W. DRAPER III, JUDGE

S.C., a juvenile, challenges the disposition entered for his conviction of first-degree attempted rape, sections 564.011 and 566.030.1, RSMo Supp. 2013.1 S.C. asserts that ordering him to register as a sexual offender for his lifetime, pursuant to sections 211.425 and 589.400.1(6), violates his constitutional rights. This Court has exclusive jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3, of the Missouri Constitution because S.C. challenges the constitutional validity of a Missouri statute.

This Court holds that S.C.'s challenge to the enforcement of section 589.400.1(6), which was not made part of the judgment against S.C., is not ripe for review at this time. While the lack of justiciability does not implicate the merits of S.C.'s claims, it does preclude relief in this action. Accordingly, pursuant to Rule 84.14, this Court will issue the ruling that the trial court should have entered. S.C.'s claims are dismissed without prejudice.

Factual and Procedural Background

In March 2014, S.C. was dropped off at Victim's residence. Victim, aged 41, was S.C.'s adoptive sister. Victim testified that S.C., while younger than her, was taller and heavier than she.

Inside the residence, S.C. approached Victim as she sat on an ottoman, put his hands around her throat, and started to choke her. Victim questioned S.C. regarding his actions, and S.C. commanded her to get up. S.C. tried to pull Victim up, but Victim ended up kneeling on the floor.

S.C. moved Victim around the room. S.C. tried to lock the front door. At one point Victim was able to escape S.C.'s hold on her, and Victim attempted to make it to her bedroom, where she kept a gun. S.C. caught Victim again and threw all of his

474 S.W.3d 162

weight against her. S.C. demanded she get on the bed, but Victim resisted.

Victim abandoned her idea of retrieving her gun and instead managed to get to the kitchen. S.C. cornered her there. S.C. told Victim to pull her pants down. Victim refused and pleaded with him to not do anything to her. Victim convinced S.C. to move to the living room, where she hoped someone would see her through the open window and help her.

In the living room, S.C. bent Victim over a dining room chair. S.C. pulled down Victim's pants and underwear, put his penis on the small of her back, and "humped" her. Victim thought he was trying to rape her.

When S.C. finished, Victim escaped, shoeless and in her pajamas, to a neighbor's home. The police were called. Victim was transported to the hospital, where she underwent tests and a sexual assault examination, and was treated. The examination verified the presence of seminal fluid from swabs of Victim's lower back, underwear, and vaginal areas. Further, the DNA testing was found to be consistent with S.C.'s DNA.

S.C. was charged pursuant to section 211.071, and the juvenile court held a hearing to determine whether to certify S.C. as an adult. Following that hearing, the juvenile court declined certification and set the matter for juvenile adjudication. Further, the trial court...

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6 cases
  • Alpert v. State, SC 96024
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • April 3, 2018
    ...the statute." Id. Yet, there are situations in which a ripe controversy may exist prior to the statute being enforced. S.C. v. Juvenile Officer , 474 S.W.3d 160, 163 (Mo. banc 2015). Pre-enforcement constitutional challenges are ripe when: (1) "the facts necessary to adjudicate the underlyi......
  • Byrne & Jones Enters., Inc. v. Monroe City R-1 Sch. Dist.
    • United States
    • Missouri Supreme Court
    • July 26, 2016
    ...(Mo. banc 2014). Standing is a threshold issue and “a prerequisite to a court's authority to address substantive issues.” S.C. v. Juvenile Officer , 474 S.W.3d 160, 163 (Mo. banc 2015). Standing is a necessary component of a justiciable case that must be established prior to adjudication of......
  • Schaberg v. Schaberg
    • United States
    • Missouri Court of Appeals
    • November 2, 2021
    ...n.3 (Mo. App. W.D. 2013) ); In re J.D.S., 482 S.W.3d 431, 438 (Mo. App. W.D. 2016) (internal citation omitted); see also S.C. v. Juv. Officer, 474 S.W.3d 160, 162–63 (Mo. banc 2015) ("Standing cannot be waived."); Stephens Cemetery, Est. 1864, Inc. v. Tyler, 579 S.W.3d 299, 305 (Mo. App. E.......
  • Four Star Enters. Equip., Inc. v. Emp'rs Mut. Cas. Co.
    • United States
    • Missouri Court of Appeals
    • July 14, 2022
    ...we must consider. Byrne & Jones Enterprises, Inc. v. Monroe City R-1 Sch. Dist. , 493 S.W.3d 847, 851 (Mo. banc 2016) ; S.C. v. Juvenile Officer , 474 S.W.3d 160, 163 (Mo. banc 2015) ; Foster v. Dunklin Cnty. , 641 S.W.3d 421, 423 (Mo. App. 2022). Thus, we have a duty to determine whether F......
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