Backpage Case: Controversial Judge Brnovich Recuses Herself

Backpage Case: Controversial Judge Brnovich Recuses Herself

PHOENIX — The controversial federal judge who presided over the trial of former Backpage.com owners Mike Lacey and Jim Larkin — which already ended in one mistrial before being rescheduled for next year — has decided to recuse herself.

Judge Susan Brnovich, the wife of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is a current hopeful for the state's Republican Senate nomination, refused to recuse herself back in April, before the mistrial, when the Lacey and Larkin defense brought up a conflict of interest between her impartiality and her husband’s publicly stated belief that Backpage.com was connected to “human trafficking.”

Today, Judge Brnovich finally recused herself, although according to the Lacey/Larkin-aligned Front Page Confidential news site, overseen by veteran Arizona journalist Stephen Lemons, she gave "no reason for the surprise move in a terse order to the court making the announcement."

Lemons, who broke the story this afternoon, reported that “the statement also said the case had been reassigned by lot to federal Judge Diane J. Humetewa.”

Nunchuks and Crosses

Attempting to reach fringe sectors of the Republican party, and also the youth vote, Mark Brnovich's Senate campaign has become increasingly bizarre, with a recent Twitter post where the decidedly non-athletic Arizona AG demonstrates his skill handling martial arts weaponry.

Mark Brnovich, as the Lacey and Larkin attorneys pointed out during their initial recusal request, also issued a pamphlet from his office misrepresenting a supposed "sex trafficking" crisis in the state that is not evidenced by any official statistics.

The sensationalistic 2017 pamphlet, still available as a government publication, is illustrated with stock photography of young, cis white women in apparent peril but does not reflect any known statistics about actual human trafficking. The pamphlet repeatedly mentions Backpage — at the time of publication not yet shuttered by the FBI — as engaging in and central to “human trafficking.”

The pamphlet is presented as the thoughts of AG Brnovich and it even begins with an introduction titled “Letter From Mark” where the public servant takes full ownership of the alarmist statements that follow.

Susan Brnovich is prominently featured in her husband's campaign material, where she appears as a supportive spouse and prominently sports a cross around her neck.

For XBIZ's ongoing coverage of the Backpage case, click here.

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

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More