In a case of modern technology meets the traditional courtroom, a small but increasing number of jury trials are being declared mistrials as a result of jurors doing research on Google and using their mobile phones to send text messages and to Twitter.
An article by John Schwartz in the New York Times published March 17, 2009, details some of the problems arising because of jurors’ use of modern technology. In one example, the judge in a federal drug trial in Florida was forced to declare a mistrial because nine of the 12 jurors admitted they had done research about the case on the Internet.
This trend is not going away. People are becoming more comfortable with posting comments about their daily activities on Facebook, a blog, or in a Twitter post. This is going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to control. Just another little example of how transparency is affecting all areas of life.
