With the rise of smart phones as small as a watch and the ever increasing use of the Internet, how will this effect courts and jury trials? With one simple click jurors can read news stories about a case, conduct research on legal terms or the law itself, find out a person’s prior criminal record or a list of civil cases filed against him or her. Everything is free and open to the public – which can be good and it can be bad. Recent cases have resulted in appeals and new trials where it was discovered that jurors used smartphones and other devices to conduct research on a case prior to the verdict being reached. Did this research impact the decision – maybe, maybe not- we cannot know for sure.

So what do you think, should smartphones, etc. on jurors be banned in courts? Should jurors be alowed to conduct any research they feel they need outside of the trial? Can smart technology and jury trials co-exist without prejudicing the defendant’s right to a fair trial with an impartial jury?