W. Cooper v. DOJ, DCI

Summary

The Court held that Cooper could challenge the Department of Justice’s registration determination through a writ of prohibition because no statutory or administrative process provided a prompt and adequate means to obtain judicial review. It further held that the District Court could not rely on the victim’s alleged age because Cooper did not admit that fact and it was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Because the North Dakota offense lacked the age element required by Montana’s registration statute, the offense was not reasonably equivalent to a registrable Montana offense, requiring reversal and remand.