Craigslist, the popular online classified system, has been cleared of problems stemming from discriminatory ads placed on its sites.

According to Jennifer Guevin of CNET News, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (CLCCRUL) group had filed against Craigslist for real estate listings that made statements such as "no minorities" or "no children." They're argument was that such ads violated the Fair Housing Act, and that the company was liable for allowing them to be posted. Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled (PDF link to the entire ruling) that Craigslist was nothing more than a courier for the advertisements and could not be any more liable than a parcel courier is for not knowing the contents of a package before delivery. His Honor went on to state that it was unrealistic to expect Craigslist to monitor every ad placed on its site prior to being listed due to expense and logistics of such an action.

As Ms. Guevin accurately points out, this ruling could be a boon to people who operate online forums. Most forum moderators worry about their legal exposure if something of questionable content is posted without their knowledge, but it now seems if they at least have a window of time to remove it before they would be held liable for all content immediately upon publication.