Here is another look at the ramifications of banning the use of social media in California courts. This article looks specifically at why this law was needed, particularly to avoid mistrials and appeals: “Jurors Social Media Use Banned In State Courts.”
The rules for online defamation may be a matter for individual courts to determine according to “Online Defamation: Is it Any Different?” by Steven Price. Like many issues in cyberspace, defamation is still being defined and refined in the online environment.
Still think people exaggerate when they talk about how pervasive social media has become in everyone’s life? According to a post on the CBS news site a “New Chicago Gang Book Explores How Gangs Are Using Social Media.”
You might think that Social Media might not be something you need to add to your already full plate as a trial lawyer. Todd Ruger’s article explains why “Trial Lawyers Should Be On Social Media.” He also references – and provides a link for – a recent article in the American Bar Association: “Social Media and the Modern Fact Finder.”
Here’s an interesting article from the First Amendment Center that looks at the free press and social media in today’s court system.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/panels-explore-news-media-social-media-and-the-courts