A front-page article or picture is a story that appears on the very first page of a newspaper and often teases other interesting stories inside. It typically carries the most important news stories from the country or region in which it is circulated, but can also include other significant events in the world that are worthy of front-page prominence.
In the summer of 2014, three Jane Does who were sex trafficked as minors sued Backpage in federal court alleging that their traffickers used the website to post ads offering them for sex. The complaint claimed that Backpage substantially contributed to the sex trafficking and did not act in good faith. The district court ruled against the plaintiffs, but on appeal, the First Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed and held that Backpage’s actions fell within “traditional publisher functions” in regards to third-party content and therefore were shielded by CDA Section 230.
In 2013, New Jersey enacted a law that attempted to legislate Backpage out of existence, but a federal judge ruled that the statute was unconstitutional, in violation of the First Amendment and the Commerce Clause, and preempted by CDA Section 230. The court referred the case to the Supreme Court of the United States for review.