A federal judge on Friday blocked South Carolina’s attorney general from making any move to prosecute Craigslist Inc. executives for ads that lead to prostitution arrests while the company pursues a lawsuit against the state.
The order from U.S. District Judge Weston Houck stems from an agreement between Attorney General Henry McMaster and Craigslist. It requires Mr. McMaster “to refrain from initiating or pursuing any prosecution against craigslist or its officers” regarding content posted on the site.
McMaster spokesman Mark Plowden said the order was standard for such cases. “This is a very routine legal procedure that allows the parties time to prepare for a hearing,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Craigslist wasn’t immediately available.
No hearing dates have been set.
Earlier this week, Craigslist filed a federal lawsuit against the prosecutor after Mr. McMaster threatened to go after the Internet advertising company for allegedly aiding and abetting prostitution. The suit claimed Mr. McMaster’s threat violates the constitutional rights of company executives.
On May 5, the attorney general called on Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster to remove ads related to prostitution and pornography from its South Carolina sites, giving the San Francisco-based company 10 days to comply or face possible charges.
Craigslist subsequently pledged to eliminate its “erotic services” category and screen submissions to a new “adult services” section before posting them.
When the deadline expired May 15, Mr. McMaster said he still intended to charge Craigslist executives with aiding and abetting prostitution if an ad on the Web site leads to a prostitution case in South Carolina.
Mr. McMaster has said his office has continued to investigate the ads in the new “adult services” section, but no charges have been brought. After demanding an apology from Mr. McMaster for targeting his company, Craigslist sued.
Mr. McMaster insists he has gone after Craigslist at the behest of local law officers who say it’s the No. 1 marketplace for adverting sex services.
“It is the vehicle of choice for prostitution in this country, and they had been notified emphatically that those were prostitution ads,” Mr. McMaster said.
Mr. McMaster said he has never handled a such case in more than six years as the state’s top prosecutor. “I don’t think this office has handled any prostitution prosecutions ever,” said Mr. McMaster, who was first elected in 2002.
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