U.S. Justices Won't Block Subpoena for Backpage.com

U.S. Justices Won't Block Subpoena for Backpage.com

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a congressional subpoena seeking information on how Backpage.com screens ads for sexual services.

The court’s action means Backpage will have to turn over documents that a Senate panel has been pursuing for more than a year.

The company's process for reviewing ads on its adult section, Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer argued, is a "core editorial function" protected under the First Amendment.

The internet company, which reportedly has $150 million in annual revenue, refused to hand over subpoenaed documents.

Some lawmakers said documents outlining Backpage’s processes would help determine what if any business practices and policies the company has to prevent criminal activity.

Congressional investigators, meanwhile, concluded Backpage is a market leader in commercial sex advertising and has been linked to hundreds of reported cases of human trafficking.

When Backpage refused to comply to hand over documents over its processes, the Senate voted 96-0 in March to hold the site in contempt and took the issue to federal court.

U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled that the committee's interests in combatting sex trafficking were compelling and the impact on Backpage’s First Amendment rights was "so slight."

Later, after Collyer made her decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed rejection of Backpage’s arguments that the subpoena violated its First Amendment rights.

Backpage had 10 days to comply with the subpoena, but the Supreme Court’s chief justice, John Roberts, put the subpoena on hold last week, allowing the full court time to consider the case.

After receiving briefs from both parties, the Supreme Court, 7-0, rejected Backpage's application Tuesday.

Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from considering the case because his son works as a staff counsel for U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, who heads the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is probing Facebook.   

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 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

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

AEBN Reveals Avery Lust as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the third quarter of 2025, with Avery Lust landing atop the leaderboard.

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Reena Sky Launches New Paysite

Reena Sky has launched her new official paysite, ILoveReenaSky.com.

NextGen Payment Joins ASACP as Corporate Sponsor

NextGen Payment has signed on as the latest corporate sponsor for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

Lauren Phillips, Derek Kage Cap AEBN's Top Stars for 3rd Quarter of 2025

AEBN has revealed its most popular performers in straight and gay theaters for the third quarter of 2025.

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, unveiling details for North America’s largest adult industry conference, including two all-new show features: Company Lounges and a Community Track.

Mymember.site Integrates VR Functionality

Mymember.site has added virtual reality playback capability to its website management platform.

Texas Patti to Launch Fetish Platform 'EmpireDom'

Performer and content creator Texas Patti is launching a new platform for doms and fetish creators, EmpireDom.com.

Ohio AG Threatens Action Against 'Major' Adult Sites Over AV Law

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today that his office is sending "notice of violation" letters to 19 adult websites for failure to comply with the state's recently enacted age verification law.

Show More