The Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body of the federal courts, has endorsed a new set of model jury instructions for district court judges in an effort to deter jurors from engaging in improper use of cell phones, computers, and other communications technologies during jury service.
The model instructions include the following specific language:
You should not...search the internet, websites, blogs, or use any other electronic tools to obtain information about this case or to help you decide this case...You may not communicate with anyone about the case on your cell phone, through email, Blackberry, iPhone, text messaging, or on Twitter, through any blog or website, through any internet chat room, or by way of any social networking websites, including Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
For more, see Jurors: Stop Twittering, Wired 2/8/2010
