Stagliano Trial Jury Selected

WASHINGTON — The jury was seated in the obscenity trial of John Stagliano on Monday, with opening arguments in the case set to begin tomorrow at 10:45 a.m.

The racial make-up of the jury is 10 blacks and two whites, with the gender lines breaking down to five men and seven women.

Two alternate jurors were also seated, a white man and a black woman.

Judge Richard J. Leon also told the defense team that he was not going to allow them to show the jury the entirety of the two films in question, totaling five-and-a-half hours of footage.

Leon indicated he would give them a more substantial ruling, including his reasoning, about the defense’s motion soon, but that he didn’t want the defense to make promises to the jury in their opening arguments that they would not be able to keep.

“I didn’t want you to get caught by surprise,” Leon said to the defense team.

Defense attorney H. Louis Sirkin told the judge he would like to enter an objection on the record to the judge’s decision.

Prosecutors have indicated they intend to show the jury approximately half-an-hour of footage from each film, "Milk Nymphos" and "Storm Squirters 2," plus the eight-minute trailer to "Fetish Fanatic 5."

Leon said he will permit the defense to play portions of the two films not shown by the prosecutors, but in terms of how much and which portions, he has not yet ruled.

Before excusing the jury around 5 p.m., Leon admonished them not to talk to anyone about the case, or, under threat of contempt of court, to read or listen to any media accounts about the trial.

After the jury was excused, lead prosecutor Pamela Stever Satterfield asked Leon if tomorrow, as part of his instructions to the jury, he would explain and instruct them on the Miller test of obscenity. Leon said he would not, although he likely will in his final instructions to them before they deliberate on the case.

Throughout the afternoon's court session, 14 potential jurors were excused in pre-emptive challenges by the defense and prosecutors.

During pre-emptive challenges, lawyers do not need to provide a reason for striking a potential juror. Two men, one white and one black, were excused as potential jurors, as were seven black women and five white women.

In the afternoon session seated in the audience of the courtroom was the director of "Storm Squirters 2," Joey Silvera, industry attorney J.D. Obenberger as well as John Stagliano’s wife, Karen Stagliano.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Age Verification Bill

Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed AB 105, an age verification bill that would have allowed anyone to sue adult content providers for damages over alleged failure to age-verify users in Wisconsin, with penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

FSC Releases Statement on Wisconsin Governor Vetoing AV Bill

The Free Speech Coalition has released a statement on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers' veto of the state's age verification legislation.

AV Bulletin: West Virginia Enacts AV Law, Ohio 'Innocence Act' Advances

This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Woodhull Survey Reveals Concern Among Sex Educators Over AV Laws' Impact on Access

A national survey of sex educators by the Woodhull Freedom Foundation found that a majority of sex educators and sexual health professionals are concerned that age verification (AV) laws will negatively impact access to information and resources.

Clips4Sale Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ruled in favor of content platform Clips4Sale in a case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the site.

FSC Talks Age Verification on Capitol Hill

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a blog post detailing the organization's talks on age verification on Capitol Hill in Washington.

FTC Warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard Against Debanking

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent letters on Thursday to the CEOs of PayPal, Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, warning them against debanking practices — including denying customers access to services based on lawful business activities perceived as high-risk.

EU Cites 4 Adult Sites for AV Breaches

The European Commission has preliminarily found PornHub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos to be in breach of Digital Services Act provisions intended to shield minors from adult content.

Brazil Sets Enforcement Timeline for New AV Rules

Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on Friday published a timeline outlining planned steps for monitoring and enforcing age verification under the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), which took effect Tuesday.

Show More