Voir dire enters a brave new world

In the U.S. criminal justice system jury selection is a critical component in the process of trying a case. That process has become even more invasive in the internet age.

Lawyers in the Conrad Murray case, in which he is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, are relying on research into the social media habits of prospective jurors.

As citizens, we always have to be aware of what we say. Now that what we "say" is often published and permanently cached on the internet we must be particularly careful. There are numerous examples of people making one critical misstep online and having to forever live down the consequences of that mistake.

While most of us would gladly make an out-of-character Facebook post if it meant we didn't have to endure jury duty, we must be careful about how we portray ourselves online.

With great (social media) power, comes great responsibility.

Source: CNN