Category Archives: Jurors
New Technology Makes Courts the “Wild, Wild West” Says Ohio Judge
The recent Ohio murder trial of Ryan Widmer was broadcast to thousands play by play by journalists via Twitter and blogs. The judge presiding over the trial permitted the use of social media in the courtroom but gave stern warnings … Continue reading
Judge Bans Public From Courtroom to Prevent Prejudice by Twitter
A judge in Calgary has received a great deal of media attention after banning members of the public from his courtroom for the duration of the high-profile trial of Russell Williams. Williams is a former air force colonel and convicted … Continue reading
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Judge Grants Defense Request for Juror’s Facebook Posts
Lawyers for Kendrick Morris have been granted permission to subpoena the Facebook posts of one of the jurors who convicted him of rape. For background about this story, see my previous post, Lawyers Seek to Subpoena Juror’s Facebook Posts. In … Continue reading
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New Jersey Model Jury Charge on Juror Investigations
Jurors in New Jersey are given specific instructions prohibiting the use of new technology and social media to investigate evidence at issue in the trial on which they are serving. The New Jersey judiciary amended its state’s model jury charges … Continue reading
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Florida Jury Instructions Detail Jurors’ Use of Technology
The Florida Supreme Court has approved amendments to the state’s standard jury instructions in civil and criminal cases. In its October 21 Order, the court explained that it had requested a committee review of whether “there existed problems relating to … Continue reading
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Potential Juror Dismissed Because of Tweet
Stories of jurors who disregard judges’ instructions not discuss their cases online (including on Facebook and Twitter), are so numerous, I can barely keep up. The latest juror story comes from the high-profile murder trial of the man charged with … Continue reading
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Will Courts Ban Jurors from All Facebook Updates During Trial?
When jurors post online comments (especially via Facebook or MySpace) about the case to which they have been assigned while the trial is ongoing, it’s almost a guarantee that a party will appeal because of it. As a result, courts … Continue reading
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New Jersey Appellate Court: Lawyers Can Google Jurors
Lawyers’ use of the Internet in litigation is a hot topic. For example, there have been two recent ethics opinions regarding lawyers who want to make a “friend request” to an unrepresented witness. There have been several stories involving jurors … Continue reading
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Judge Denies Lawyer’s Request to Ban Cell Phones for Jurors
Should jurors be permitted to have smartphones while serving jury duty? This is a question facing judges in state and federal courts around the country. Some judges have responded by issuing jury instructions that specifically address juror’s use of technology. … Continue reading
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Fla. Juror’s iPhone Use Leads to a New Trial
A juror in Florida used his iPhone to look up the definition of the word prudent during a break in deliberations. The word was used in the jury instructions and the juror, apparently, wasn’t certain of its meaning. When deliberations … Continue reading
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