The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, in a unanimous decision, reversed a permanent ban on internet use imposed by the District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania as part of a lifetime term of supervised release.
The Court, in its opinion by Judge McKee, agreed with the appellant’s argument that “an absolute lifetime ban on using computers and computer equipment as well as accessing the internet, with no exception for employment or education, involves a greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably necessary and is not reasonably related to the factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3583.” U.S. v. Voelker, No. 05-2858, __ F.3d __, (3rd Cir. 2007). See C|Net News.com for more coverage.