California judges will no longer have discretion when instructing jurors about prohibited Internet use. According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, the state has passed legislation that requires trial judges to tell jurors that they are not permitted to use the Internet to conduct research or discuss the case while it is ongoing. And the law has a big stick–jurors who ignore the instruction can be charged with criminal contempt and, if convicted, serve up to six months in jail. The law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, takes effect in 2012, and passed by the state’s legislature without a single opposing vote.
For examples of jury instructions that address the issue of jurors’ online activities, see the Social-Media Research Repository, which is linked at the top of this page. You also may be interested in these previous posts:
U.K. Juror Sentenced to Jail for Facebook Contact with Defendant
Potential Juror Dismissed Because of Tweet
Jury Instructions on Social Media (and Google Earth!)
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