Twitter in the Courtroom : Do You Object ?
tweet ...” 5 Since the United States Supreme Court has not ruled on this matter , judges have discretion as to whether to allow or exclude Twitter use .
II . STATE COURT REVIEW
Live courtroom media coverage using emerging technologies is commonplace in many state courts . 6 Often , judges will consider a set of enumerated guidelines and any other factor they deem relevant when deciding whether to allow broadcasting in their courtroom . In California a jurist must consider some of the following criteria :
1 . The importance of maintaining public trust and confidence in the judicial system ;
2 . The importance of promoting public access to the judicial system ;
3 . The parties ’ support of or opposition to the request ; 4 . The nature of the case ;
5 . The privacy rights of all participants in the proceeding , including witnesses , jurors , and victims ; ...” 7
These standards help ensure that journalists are able to serve as messengers and that the court ’ s integrity is upheld . This mandate is followed in New York state courts as well : broadcasting is allowed as long as “[ it does not ] [ detract ] from
5 Adriana C . Cervantes , Will Twitter Be Following You in the Courtroom ? Why Reporters Should Be Allowed to Broadcast During Courtroom Proceedings , 33 Hastings Comm . & Ent L . J . 133 , 136 ( 2010 ).
6 As Witnesses Sing , Jurors Twitter Tweets , CBS News , Mar . 6 , 2009 , https :// www . cbsnews . com / news / as-witnesses-sing-journos-twittertweets /).
7 2019 California Rules of Court . R 1.150 . ( e )( 3 ).
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