State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Harold L. Wingler, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and remanded for further proceedings, holding that the Sex Offender Act’s classification scheme is constitutionally valid under a rational‑basis analysis and that the statutory transfer authority does not require a mandatory hearing, but the lower court must determine whether the statutory criteria were satisfied before any further confinement. Justice Heher dissented, arguing that the statute’s transfer provision violates equal protection and due‑process requirements.