Oops.....

With technology rapidly taking over the world in the 21st century, there are bound to be some bumps in the road. But who knew that Jury Duty would be one of them? There is an outcry in the US because Jurors are causing mistrials, exclusion of jurors, and imposition of fines because of their techno savvy and claiming that there is nothing said to prohibit them from using the net, going onto facebook or even tweeting during a court case.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon challenged her misdemeanor embezzlement conviction after discovering five jurors "friended" one another on Facebook during the trial. This is only one of the many instances of techno Jurors causing havoc with the system. New restrictions will have to be put in place to ensure that when you have a juror, they are as objective as possible. Personally I believe that this shouldn't even have to be said, but apparently it does.

Social networking and the internet has become so ingrained in our day to day lives that it's become routine. Tweeting or updating your facebook status is almost an unconscious action but when it comes to the issues of the law, awareness is what is needed and breaking the habit for the allotted amount of time is imperative. Objectivity is the name of this game, and adding fellow jurors as friends on your facebook account is hindering this important process. Take it seriously, how would you feel on trial with a bunch of tweeting jurors?