In a motion filed Thursday in federal court in Phoenix, government attorneys have — for the second time — asked federal Judge Diane Humetewa to exclude any mention of the First Amendment in front of the jury during the Backpage…
Update, Thursday, Sept. 7: The Backpage trial will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 12, per an order today from the federal court in Phoenix. The court further ordered: ORDER as to Michael Lacey, et al., IT IS ORDERED that upon notice…
On Friday, at the final pretrial hearing in the Backpage case, federal Judge Diane Humetewa in Phoenix shot down a defense suggestion that the prosecution not use the terms “sex trafficking” and “child sex trafficking” during the Aug. 29 trial…
During a marathon six-hour pre-trial hearing in Phoenix’s federal court on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa ruled that the defense in the Backpage case can argue the adult-themed ads that appeared on the classified listings site were, in…
The following report contains opinion and analysis that is the author’s alone. In an order issued on Monday, July 24, federal Judge Diane Humetewa in Phoenix granted prosecutors significant wins on a series of motions affecting the retrial of veteran…
Statement from Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin: The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Phoenix recently filed nine motions in our case aimed at denying us a fair trial, the most egregious of which asks federal Judge Diane Humetewa to prevent…
Is the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona getting legal advice from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un? Forgive the jest, but on Thursday, prosecutors in the August 8 retrial of veteran newspapermen Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin filed nine pretrial…
On Thursday in Phoenix, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa denied a defense motion asking her to dismiss the five-year-old criminal case against veteran newspapermen Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin. The ruling clears the path for an August 8 retrial…
Award-winning editor, journalist, and publisher Michael Lacey walked with a bit more swagger than usual on Monday as he exited the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in downtown Phoenix. Lacey’s left leg was less encumbered, you see. On Monday, U.S….
In an order dated March 23, U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa in Phoenix set a new start date for the retrial of veteran newspapermen Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, former owners of the Craigslist-esque classified listings site Backpage.com: August…
