Internet v. Courts: Googling for the perfect juror

Feb 17, 2011

When picking a jury, lawyers always try to stack the panel with people likely to take their side. Now, some are taking the vetting process to a new level: they’re quietly trawling social networks and other sites to ferret out the most intimate details of potential jurors’ lives, from their sexual orientation to their income level and politics.

Feb 17, 2011

When picking a jury, lawyers always try to stack the panel with people likely to take their side. Now, some are taking the vetting process to a new level: they’re quietly trawling social networks and other sites to ferret out the most intimate details of potential jurors’ lives, from their sexual orientation to their income level and politics.

In essence, the traditional question-and-answer session known as “voir dire” is being transformed into “voir Google,” sparking concerns about privacy and about whether courts are adequately supervising the process.

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