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Craigslist Shielded From Prosecution In SC

Posted by Soulskill on from the at-least-for-now dept.

viyh writes with an update to the ongoing legal troubles faced by Craigslist over their adult-services ads. According to CNN, a South Carolina judge has told the office of the state's Attorney General, Henry McMaster, to cease their efforts to bring criminal charges against the operators of Craigslist. "On Friday, Judge Weston Houck granted Craigslist's request for a temporary restraining order preventing McMaster and his employees from 'initiating or pursuing [any] prosecution against Craigslist or its officers and employees in relation to content posted by third parties on Craigslist's Web site' until the court rules on the merits of the site's lawsuit. Craigslist's lawsuit cites an interview McMaster gave to Fox News on Monday, in which he likened the site 'to a hotel or motel owner that knows prostitution is going on on their premises and fails to do anything about it especially after having been told.'"

3 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This is not moderation, this is accomodation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Erotic services are illegal? Ah, so that is why there are no strip clubs in USA?

    Helping people find such services is illegal? Oh, that is why the advertisers, etc. of such clubs are thrown into jail.

    Spending money in order to get sex is illegal? Oh, cops should have thrown me to jail many times when I've offered a drink to someone.

    What exactly is illegal is far, far narrower than "erotic services" and it makes a big difference here. And while I frequently use Wikipedia myself, I don't think that it always gives completely fair, unbiased and balanced image in large scale political issues that offend a lot of people either way.

  2. Re:Since when do judges by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Corruption?!? A declaratory judgment action is actually an essential legal right.

    http://www.nolo.com/definition.cfm/Term/ED8E9D0B-38C9-4D40-ADC1E5392D91A929/alpha/D/

    The prosecutor has threatened to bring charges against Craigslist. Why should Craigslist have to wait for the Attorney General to decide to bring charges. He could keep making threats without bringing any charges as long as he wants. These threats cast a cloud over Craigslist, so they have the right to have the issue resolved, i.e., have the court determine whether Craigslist is protected by the first or fourteenth amendment.

    An Attorney General can and should bring charges against whomever he or she wants. What an Attorney General should not be allowed to do is make public threats against an individual or a corporation.

  3. Re:This is not moderation, this is accomodation. by bitserf · · Score: 5, Informative

    We've had legalized prostitution in New Zealand since 2003.

    Contrary to the scaremongering promulgated by people with hidden agendas, the sky has not fallen, and people working in the world's oldest profession have the full protection of the law behind them, just like everyone else.

    Doesn't mean there isn't still a social stigma associated with it, but at least they're not forced into the underground and exploited by criminals, and they pay their taxes just like everyone else.