Judge sides with Senate panel in dispute with Backpage.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is siding with a Senate subcommittee in a document dispute with classified advertising website Backpage.com.

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer has directed the website to turn over documents as part of a congressional lawsuit about how it screens ads for possible sex trafficking.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations had sought a court order requiring Backpage to produce certain documents as part of its investigation.

The website had argued that the congressional subpoena was unconstitutional and overly broad and burdensome. But Collyer rejected those arguments in directing the documents to be produced.

The Senate sued Backpage earlier after the website failed to comply with a subpoena over its screening practices.