By Associated Press

A Nevada judge didn’t put a last-minute stop on a state plan to begin posting the names of thousands of convicted sex offenders whose cases had previously been deemed low-risk.

Clark County District Court Judge Douglas Smith rejected an emergency request on Thursday from attorneys for 17 unnamed plaintiffs who argued that publishing the names will do significant irreparable harm to Tier 1 offenders.

The judge says there was plenty of time to challenge the measure, and an appeal for a delay should have been filed sooner.

But he did schedule a July 12 hearing on a challenge of the constitutionality of the law.

The postings due to start Friday were approved by the state Legislature in 2007 to comply with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.