Twitter: The Get Out of Jail Free Card for a New Age

Maybe it was social media that got Mr. Moneybags off?
Maybe it was social media that got Mr. Moneybags off?
(From BBC News) I am sure that all of us can sympathize with dealing with jury duty. It’s inconveniencing, it can soak up a whole month with you stuck in a room listening to all manner of experts talk about why someone did or didn’t do something.  But we all do it, because, well it gives everybody a fair chance, supposedly.

But what are we supposed to do when we are separated from our Twitter and Facebook accounts for a WHOLE DAY? We work around it, and dammit we Tweet, because who else will be able to know all the details of the grisly murder we are listening to?

Sound silly? Of course it does. But a court in Arkansas recently overturned the conviction of a murder because a Juror insisted on Tweeting while on duty. While he said he didn’t give any specifics about the case, the State Supreme Court argued that the nature of Twitter constitutes a public discussion, ordering a retrial of the individual in question. This all gives me a great idea for a short film. 12 Angry Men as told in tweets…

Comments

  1. Clare 2e

    I am holding my tongue and my tweets, but it ain’t easy : )

  2. Jennifer R

    Sounds like the plot of last night’s The Good Wife, though they used “blogging” instead. But in the end, it was Facebook that caused a mistrial.

  3. Wendy Lewis

    I find it sad that people are so unable to actually do their civic duty. It’s all about thinking – what if I were the defendant? Wouldn’t I want the jury to pay attention? I know trials can be deadly dull, but please don’t be a TWIT!

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