Abstract
Twitter and other social media in the judiciary have been a topic in this magazine before. Judith C. Gibson, for example, dealt with “The future of judges in a social media world” in the October 2016 issue. This short article aims to illustrate the problem of the use of social media in the courtroom using a small, recent practical example from the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Highlights
The legal situation The Swiss Federal Supreme Court discusses about 1% of its cases, i.e. about 70–80 cases per year, in an oral public hearing;[2] this means that anyone can participate as a spectator and listener while the judges discuss the decision and its justification
The Federal Supreme Court Act provides that anyone who violates decency or disturbs the course of business in proceedings before the Federal Supreme Court shall be punished with a reprimand or a fine of up to 1,000 francs.[5]
The chairperson may expel persons who do not follow their instructions from the meeting room and punish them with a fine of up to 1,000 francs.[6]
Summary
I. The legal situation The Swiss Federal Supreme Court discusses about 1% of its cases, i.e. about 70–80 cases per year, in an oral public hearing;[2] this means that anyone can participate as a spectator and listener while the judges discuss the decision and its justification.
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