California May Fine Tweeting Jurors

Jurors who research ongoing trials on the Internet, or post comments about them online, may be fined up to $1,500 under proposed legislation in California. Currently, jurors who derail trials by Googling or posting to Twitter are chewed out by judges and dismissed, leaving behind mistrials and overturned convictions. Supporters of the legislation say it would give teeth to current rules banning social media and Internet use for jurors. Detractors say judges should vet the Internet use of potential jurors before seating them. “If you have an Internet addict who just can’t psychologically stop, you may want to excuse that person,” says Paula Hannaford-Agor, who studies juries at the National Center for State Courts, told AP.