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Court warns on jurors’ Web use

Posts on social media raise risks of mistrial; state’s judges told to spell out rules

By Milton J. Valencia

 |  Globe Staff  

  May 14, 2012

In the state’s first decision involving juries and social media, the Massachusetts Appeals Court has called on judges to better police jurors’ use of the Internet to discuss cases - a practice that can result in a mistrial. The court said judges need to do more to explain to jurors that refraining from conversations about a case also means refraining from posting it on Facebook, or Twitter - acts of habit in today’s technology driven world.

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