Juries and Social Media: Northwest Ohio\u27s Response to this Phenomenon

The 21st century is an era in which the dependence on technology is at an all-time high. The availability of information on social networking sites has recently sparked a debate in regards to jury impartiality. Over the last few years states such as Florida, Michigan, and New York have received scholastic attention for making changes to local jury instructions to ensure defendant’s rights of an impartial jury guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Federal national jury instructions addressing juror social media usage has also drawn attention. Little, however, scholastic attention has been directed towards Northwest Ohio. This project will look at the changes Northwest Ohio’s judicial system has made to ensure that jurors do not utilize social media sites while performing their civic duty. This study analyzes the perceived effectiveness of strategies currently in use in Northwest Ohio based on interviews with judges and attorneys in this region