In a recent legal development, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has made a ruling that discourages internet-based investigation of potential jurors. The technology behemoth, Google, found itself at the receiving end of this decision when the court dictated that it was not permitted to search for information about prospective jurors in an impending patent infringement case.
While this may be perceived as a hindrance by some, according to Sarah Murray at Trialcraft, the value of online research in assessing juror biases or prejudices may be overstated. She argues that traditional methods of evaluation such as voir dire and juror questionnaires frequently yield more useful and pertinent information, diluting the worry that the exclusion of internet research will lead to insufficient evidence of bias.
Could this signify a larger trend where courts will take measures to mitigate the influence of tech-giants in the legal system, is yet to be seen.
More information on the matter can be found in Murray’s original discussion on the topic, which is hosted on Law360.