Ohio: Judges can be Social Media "Friends" but Should be Discreet

Judges in Ohio can be a social media "friend" to lawyers appearing in their courtrooms but should be careful not to violate ethics rules, the state's apex court has opined.

A Twitter page is displayed on a laptop computer in Los Angeles
According to the opinion issued by Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline, a judge "must maintain dignity in every comment, photograph and other information shared on the social network" and following the ethics guidelines for social networking "will require a judge's constant vigil."

The opinion lays down the precautions a judge should take while fraternizing with lawyers on the pages of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and other social media sites.

For instance, judges can't comment to anyone on social networking sites about cases they're handling and are prohibited from visiting the social media sites of any witnesses in a case or using those sites to gather information. Judges are also not allowed to "give legal advice to others on a social networking site."

Full Article and Source:
Ohio Judges can be Social Media Friends but Should be Discreet

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