Judges and lawyers are among the millions of people using online social networking sites such as Facebook. But there are few rules to guide them in the legal arena.
Should a judge set limits on what alleged juvenile offenders can post on their MySpace pages? Should a lawyer be wary about discussing clients and cases online?
What follows are three takes on how Texas judges use social networking sites to help them do their jobs.
On July 31, Judge Susan Criss of Galveston's 212th District Court was a panelist at an American Bar Association Judicial Division discussion titled "Courts and Media in the 21st Century: Twitterers, Bloggers, the New Media, the Old Media, and What's a Judge to Do?"
Criss, a judge since 1999, says she started using Facebook about six months ago when she accepted an assignment on the planning committee for her 30th high school reunion and needed to track down alumni. A Facebook regular since then, she has one page she uses for personal and professional networking purposes. She says she started "friending" lawyers on Facebook to network and possibly to campaign in the future. (Friends generally can see what other friends post on their Facebook pages.) But Criss steers clear of what may be perceived as online ex parte communications by asking lawyers who represent parties in her courtroom to "de-friend" her when a trial commences.
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Source: law.com
By: Miriam Rozen
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