The Complete Social Media Judge

Courts now not only have social media policies to control social media use in the courtroom, but are using social media (particularly Twitter) to publish judgments and court-related information. Now that social media gives everyone equal and inexpensive access to broadcast communication platforms of international scope and impact, courts are finding that interactive communication with court “users” is changing both the law and the way that judges interact with the public. The legal, ethical and case management impacts of changes in court communication and development of the law are, however, only a small part of the profound changes social media may have on the legal system and the role of the judge. This discussion paper examines the future of judges in a social media world where the “like” button, and not just the legislature or the appellate courts, may play an increasingly powerful role in shaping both the content of the law and the way in which judges perform their role in the legal system.