JUDGE REPRIMANDED FOR FACEBOOK FRIENDING!

Posted in Law ::: June 5, 2009 8:57 AM

The entire "World is Flat" concept never ceases to amaze me.  Neither does the complete proliferation of such social networking sites of Facebook and Twitter into everyday life.  Last week, I watched a site called Black Cab Sessions (musicians performing live in London taxi cabs, pretty cool) gain several hundred new Twitter followers in a matter of an afternoon because skateboard pioneer Tony Hawk mentioned them on his Twitter tweet.  Just amazing. 

I've also been following how Facebook and Twitter has infiltrated the legal world and have monitored how many lawyers, like myself, have begun using them for networking, marketing and just plain fun.  Well, apparently the guys in robes have been as well.  Because a North Carolina judge just got reprimanded for being Facebook friends with a lawyer who was appearing in a case before him and they exchanged Facebook posts with each other about the case while it was still pending.  That's a no-no for my non-lawyer friends.  You aren't allowed to speak with a Judge about the case without the presence of the opposing lawyer while a case is pending. The Judge also got spanked for using google to research the plaintiff in the case even though that information had never been entered into evidence, even going so far as to cite a poem by the plaintiff, taken off the web site, before rendering his decision.  Justice is supposed to be blind ladies and gents, not an internet sleuth.  http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20090601/ARTICLES/905319995/1005?Title=Judge-reprimanded-for-discussing-case-on-Facebook

Nonetheless, it's all pretty interesing and in case you were wondering, technology and the way we get news, market ourselves, interact with others - it's not going away and only going to keep on evolving.  Balencing this new wave of information with the 'old' rules and principles of conduct is where the challenge lies.  Stay tuned.

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Comments on this Entry

  1. Posted :: June 12th, 2009Tiffany Strange

    GREAT blog, Greg! This is a very interesting topic which has sparked a debate between myself and coworkers over our Friday morning coffee. Well done!

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