When empaneled jurors make social media posts during a trial, they risk opening Pandora’s box—a recurrent issue in courtrooms throughout the United States and in many foreign countries.
The current case of a woman called “Juror X” in a Cincinnati federal court illustrates how jurors invite scrutiny and possibly jeopardize a verdict when they choose to make online trial-related statements, in possible violations of court rules that seek to insulate jurors from influences outside the courtroom.
Lawyers for Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld, a former Cincinnati city councilman who was convicted of two corruption-related charges, are asking a federal judge to allow forensic examination of Juror X’s cellphone, other devices, and social media accounts….