Judged by the (Digital) Company You Keep: Maintaining Judicial Ethics in an Age of Likes, Shares, and Follows

Authors

John BrowningFollow

First Page

222

Date Created

6-30-2022

Publisher

St. Mary's University School of Law

Editor

Bailey Rider

Last Page

252

Abstract

Just like lawyers, judicial use of social media can present ethical pitfalls. And while most scholarly attention has focused on either active social media conduct by judges (such as posting or tweeting) or on social media “friendships” between judges and others, this Article analyses the ethical dimensions of seemingly benign judicial conduct on social media platforms, such as following a third party or “liking,” sharing, or retweeting the online posts of others. Using real-world examples, this Article analyses how even such ostensibly benign conduct can create the appearance of impropriety and undermine public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

Recommended Citation

John Browning, Judged by the (Digital) Company You Keep: Maintaining Judicial Ethics in an Age of Likes, Shares, and Follows, 12 St. Mary's J. on Legal Malpractice & Ethics 222 (2022).
Available at: https://commons.stmarytx.edu/lmej/vol12/iss2/1