New model jury rules specifically address use of social media

Got a jury trial coming up? Concerned about jurors using social media to discuss the case or conduct independent research during trial? As you may recall from this blog post, if you are counting on the court to independently instruct jurors not to get their Twitter on, well, don’t hold your breath.

Instead, consider including this new two-page model jury instruction addressing juror use of social media during trial. You’ll note that jurors are instructed twice about social-media use. According to this official press release, the new rules emphasize that a single instruction to refrain from using social media to discuss/research the trial is not enough:

The judges recommended that jurors frequently be reminded about the prohibition on social media before the trial, at the close of a case, at the end of each day before jurors return home, and other times, as appropriate. Jurors should be told why refraining from use of social media promotes a fair trial. Finally, jurors should know the consequences of violations during trial, such as mistrial and wasted time. Those recommendations are now part of the guidelines.

One additional suggestion: remember that technology is ever-changing. Today’s Facebook may be tomorrow’s https://www.theemployerhandbook.com.

Yeah…

The point here is that you shouldn’t hesitate to tailor these model jury instructions to emphasize those sites and tools that your jurors are likely to utilize to make sure that they don’t.