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OSBA Recommends Judges Limit Jurors' Social Media Access

By Cleveland Law Library

The Ohio State Bar Association has recommended a new jury instruction for judges to give to jurors. Concerns over jurors looking outside the confines of a case for evidence and other information has prompted the OSBA to recommend that judges instruct jurors not to use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or technology, such as iPhones and Blackberrys. The proposed instruction is not, however, limited to technological devices or internet sites and includes reference books, newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio news. According to Justice Lanzinger, the goal of the proposed instruction is to ensure that parties receive a fair trial. Click here to read a press release from the Ohio Supreme Court about the new proposal. According to the OSBA website, the new jury instruction is available through Casemaker. This link from the OSBA press release may take you to the text of the proposed instruction, although you may have to sign in online as a member of the OSBA first.

Full post as published by Cleveland Law Library Weblog on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).