Well, Well, Well...seems the almighty iPhone, and it's internet ready counterparts, have finally crossed to the dark side and managed to thwart justice in the most unsuspecting way possible. The jurors were doing research!
Say it ain't irony because most individuals are using their smart phones to increase their knowledge on the case—checking definitions, background research, etc.
"Jurors are not supposed to seek information outside of the courtroom." Stories of jurors using twitter, facebook, wikipedia, and google to update outside parties of case happenings are "wreaking havoc on trials around the country."Judges have no choice but to declare mistrials, wasting countless weeks of work, time, and money.
They are required to reach a verdict based only on the facts that the judge has decided are admissible, and they are not supposed to see evidence that has been excluded as prejudicial. But now, using their cellphones, they can look up the name of a defendant on the Web, or examine an intersection using Google Maps, violating the legal system’s complex rules of evidence. They can also tell their friends what is happening in the jury room, though they are supposed to keep their opinions and deliberations secret.
These once herald devices are now becoming an uncontrollable nuisance to our system of government despite habitual warnings about seeking outside information during trials. But these warning come too late to our all too tech savvy/obsessed generation.
original article by JOHN SCHWARTZ "Mistrial by iPhone: Juries’ Web Research Upends Trials" NY Times
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