Legal Commentary

State judges -- on their own time -- are cautiously experimenting with social media (e.g., Facebook), reports Tony Mauro in The National Law Journal. But, he notes, "judges doubt they could use the new media tools in their professional lives without violating judicial ethics codes."

A recent survey from the Conference of Court Public Information Officers found that 40% of responding judges say they use social media, and almost all said judges and court personnel need to familiarize themselves with the phenomenon. But less than 7% use sites for official purposes, such as alerts to the public or press about newly issued rulings, says Mauro. An exception is the Tennessee court system, on Twitter, which has about 900 followers.