United States newspapers scored a legal victory when an appeals court limited the locations where they may be sued for libel over stories posted on the internet.

Two Connecticut newspapers, the Hartford Courant and New Haven Advocate, can't be sued for libel in Virginia for stories posted on their websites. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that judges in Virginia lacked authority to hear a prison warden's claim that the stories implied he was "a racist who advocates racism".

The decision came three days after Australia's highest court ruled that Dow Jones could be sued for defamation in Australia over articles from Barron's magazine that were posted on the internet.